Akugan and Byakugan
by SleepyFox1000
Summary: A NarutoxHinata story. Rated T for violence and some romantic scenes nothing too bad . My first story, starts with Naruto about 16 Kyuubi on his side . Please rate and comment!
1. Chapter 1: Life in Konoha

Authors Note: Story is from different characters points of view. **Pay attention to -(charater name) before each section or you might get confused.** I know i change pov alot (sorry about that! i'll be sure to change that in future stories but i like 1st person, so i'll just make each entry longer.) Try to bear with the story, kind of boring at first but i promise it will get better. My first fanfic so some feedback would be awesome. Pleased to say that there is absolutely NO cussing in this story.

**Chapter 1: Life in Konoha**

**-Naruto**

The threats were still there: Akatsuki hadn't been destroyed, Sasuke hadn't been captured, and the Bijous were still being mercilessly hunted for their power; and guess whose job it was to stop it all- mine.

After Danzo had been removed from his post as 6th Hokage, I got elected. I should be ecstatic, but being Hokage isn't as amazing as most people think. The village had already acknowledged me as their "savior" and I really didn't want anymore attention than I already had, but I couldn't just step down and leave Tsunade to take care of the whole village; I had to stay put for now.

I walked through the village streets, getting hi's and hey's from the people I was here to protect. Although I don't think he's caught on to me, I can't ignore the way Kakashi-sensei looks at me, almost as if he saw someone else in me, and I have a pretty good idea of who that is.

For now, only the Jounin and higher-ups of the village know about my connection to the 4th Hokage, and some people shun him for sticking the Nine-tails inside his own son, but I don't mind. Really, after thinking it through, I'm actually kind of happy he stuck the Nine-tails inside me. Not only does it give me extra protection, but it kind of never leaves me alone. Now that I think about it, I always had someone with me, although I wouldn't approve of his personality. I'm starting to wonder just how well my father thought this through before he sealed the fox. Many years in advance, I know that much, although he relied on others a little too much- others who are now dead. The 3rd Hokage and the Pervy Sage…

**-Sakura**

It was obvious how much it hurt him. He could never bring Jiraya back and he always blamed himself for not being there to save him. I have to give him some credit, though; he never stopped chasing his dream of becoming Hokage some day. Naruto… what will you do now?

**-Hinata**

Naruto had certainly changed from the way he used to be. I still remember our days in the Academy when Naruto was always joking around and not caring what would happen to him. All he wanted was to be recognized back then, now he was striving for more. He had grown into a man, and taught me how to be a woman; I owed him a lot.

Neji had grown too. It seemed like the whole world was changing right before my eyes and I had no way to stop it. Life in Konoha had changed; things had become more complicated than ever before. And Naruto, he had changed the most. Yes, life was no longer simple.

**-Kyuubi**

I had to get moving. Only 1 more year before Naruto had a choice: a deadly choice to me. How much I hated the 4th Hokage for setting the seal up the way he did; I definitely did _not_ want to see him again. I could never forgive him for sealing me inside this brat and dooming me to this fate. If I could, I'd be out of here in a shot, but that won't happen either. I was stuck inside a boy, doomed to an evil fate, and only I could get myself out of it. Either I help the brat, or I die. I really don't want to do either one.

**-Kakashi**

Naruto had surpassed the 4th Hokage. It was hard to come to the realization that he wasn't just a kid anymore. Minato would've been proud that his son grew up to be such a great ninja even without the help of parents. Naruto used to be so lost…now he believes in himself and everyone else. Those who guided him through his academy years would have noticed the change even before Naruto had brought down Pain and restored peace to the ninja world. We had a lot to thank him for.

Not surprisingly, Naruto achieved his goal of becoming Hokage and looking at the two of them, it reminds me of Minato and Hiruzen when they were both Hokages working together. Even though most people wouldn't notice it, Naruto and I share an invisible connection. My father, the White Fang, and Naruto's father, the Yellow Flash, were shinobi that had their names forever etched into ninja history for the battles they fought and the things they achieved.

Naruto had done a deed worthy of having his name written into the book of shinobi history, and yet, it doesn't need to be. The villagers would never forget what Naruto did for them, and those eyes of hate will never land on his head again.

**-Jiraya**

I had done it. I fulfilled the prophecy the old frog had given to me. I had guided the revolutionary- Naruto Uzumaki. He will bring great peace to the world of ninjas, more than any other shinobi in history. And his father, he was proud, no doubt about it. Although, I wonder if he has a trick up his sleeve; he seems just a little too happy when he sees Naruto now…


	2. Chapter 2: Unfair Battle

**Chapter 2: Unfair Battle**

**-Naruto**

It was totally unfair. I was supposed to fight in the yearly battle where ninjas hone their skills, with a broken arm. Not to mention the fact my body hadn't completely recovered; Tsunade must have gone insane. Was she trying to kill me? I was supposed to fight Jounin level shinobi when I could barely form a hand sign? I guess I should stop complaining though, as long as I can summon, there won't be a problem.

**-Kiba**

Tsunade must've gone insane, along with Naruto. I was supposed to fight Naruto while he had a broken arm and was obviously in pain? What a joke. Not only might I kill him but I probably would do some sort of irreversible damage to his body which would be completely stupid because he's Konoha's greatest weapon at this point; I guess I'll just have to go easy on him.

**-Naruto**

I leaned forward, ready to fight. Kiba obviously thought I was insane to show up here with a broken arm but I really didn't care; one arm was all I needed to take him down.

The fight started and he raced towards me. I braced myself and formed Fire-style hand signs as fast as I could which really wasn't that fast with this arm. I readied the jutsu and blew the fire out of my mouth. Kiba had improved because he used an Earth-style to get away from it; clever of him to find my weakness so quickly. I used Wind-style and got into the air before he could play any tricks on me. From this angle, fighting him would be a cinch.

I readied another Fire-style jutsu and prepared to attack the ground with it, while I totally missed Akamaru right behind me. Before I knew it, my leg had a giant gash in it and I was on my knees. Getting away wouldn't be so easy anymore.

The villagers were cheering me on; they obviously expected me to win. I had bad news for them though; I think I just might lose. Kiba was strong, not that strong, but strong. And with me having a broken arm…I looked out at their expectant faces and instantly realized that I couldn't lose. They were looking up to me, not only as their Hokage, but as a person too. There was no way I could let them down.

I desperately tried to ignore the pain as I struggled to my feet. I had to win this fight. Even more people believed in me now. Not only my father and Jiraya…but the villagers too; I could do this. I readied a Water-style this time and tried to fake Fire-style signs, although I didn't do a very good job. But if he couldn't see my hand signs…that's it!

I hid my hands as well as I could while still forming Water-style signs. I felt Akamaru's chakra behind me and turned around, firing a Water Pistol at him. He whimpered and fell to the ground, blood covering his leg. One down, one to go. I readied a Thunder-style attack next, hiding the symbols the same way I did before. Kiba had rushed to Akamaru's side so I could hit them both at the same time. _Thunder-style: Thunderbolt _I thought before I brought the electric bolt down from the clouds, aiming it towards the duo.

I thought I hit them because of the fried piece of ground that was left but I didn't see any bodies so I couldn't say anything for sure at this point. As long as I injured them though, beating them would be easy. I searched the ground for any sign of motion or life but all I found were tons of wild animals. Were they underground?

My question was answered as I turned around to come face-to-face with Kiba who was obviously pissed off at me for hurting Akamaru. One swift movement and another broken appendage. This time, my face was covered in blood and from the looks of it, my nose was broken. "How DARE you hurt Akamaru," Kiba growled to me while I just sat there and took it.

"Um, this IS a battle Kiba; someone is bound to get hurt. I mean…look at me. I'm a mess…"

"I don't want your sympathy and I don't care what happened to you, I'm getting revenge for Akamaru."

"Wait Kiba, we could kill each other if we fight anymore…"

"I told you, I'm getting…revenge!" he told me before throwing a chakra filled punch into my gut and the entire world went black…

**-Kiba**

I think I went too far this time. Naruto looked to be dead, lying on the ground like that with all the other shinobi surrounding him and Sakura trying desperately to revive his dead body, but she should just give up. None of it was any use, the 7th Hokage was dead.

**-Naruto**

I looked around in a strange world. I had never seen this place before; it certainly wasn't Kyuubi's realm, so what kind of place was it? The whole place was covered in a shade of blue, although you could clearly see the other shinobi who were gathered around something. I went towards the group and pushed my way through but nothing would have prepared me for what I saw in the center: my dead body.

I gasped as I stared at the lifeless piece of flesh that was sitting on the ground. I was dead. I looked around me at the faces of the other shinobi. Some were crying, some looked guilty, others looked angry. The mixed emotions of the ninjas seemed strange; they looked like they were directed towards me. What had I done?


	3. Chapter 3: The Realm of the Dead

**Chapter 3: The Realm of the Dead**

**-Jiraiya**

We instantly knew someone else was inside the spirit realm. I stood up and went to go investigate. As I got closer to the place were the other presence was felt, I realized two things. First, it was the battlefield of the yearly ninja battles. Secondly, there wasn't just one presence, there were two.

I looked around from the tree I was standing on and found the newcomers, but they weren't who I expected them to be. Naruto and the Nine-tails, they had died together. Naruto looked like he was about to burst into tears and the Fox looked strange. Was he trying to comfort him? No, that would be crazy. The Nine-tails was an evil demon that the Forth had sealed inside Naruto because he thought he could use the power. When had the Fox's attitude changed so dramatically?

I hopped down and approached the two of them, ready for anything. The Fox looked up, gave me a cold-hearted glare, and I stopped for a second. He certainly was acting weird.

"Kyuubi…" I heard Naruto mumble, "I'm fine, you really don't have to be doing this for me…"

"Don't worry about it, I'm dead too so it doesn't really matter much to me."

To my surprise, Naruto broke a smile and wiped his tears away. He looked up, came eye-to-eye with me, and the smile instantly disappeared. "P-Pervy Sage? Am I starting to see things now?!"

"No," I told him, "You're in the realm of the dead. Everyone who is dead is here." His facial expression didn't convince me that he understood a word I said. How could I get through to him? "In other words, you are dead and so is the Nine-tails. The place you are in right now is the place where dead people live."

"B-But…I'm dead." Apparently I had chosen the wrong words because he just hung his head down and started crying. What was wrong with him? "S-So that means, I never got to tell Sakura that I love her too…" I was shocked. He was crying because of that?

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a way to tell her…" the Fox told him.

"Naruto!" someone exclaimed from behind me. I turned around and saw him: Minato. I would've said something but I knew Naruto would be happy to see him and I couldn't deny him the right to see his father.

"Dad…" he said, tears welling up again in his eyes. They had seen each other before? Naruto stood up and embraced his father, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I never saw you again after that…"

"I know, it was only a one time deal. But now that you're here…"

Naruto unlocked himself from his father's arms and looked up at him. "I never got to tell Hinata…"

Understanding became the dominant emotion across Minato's face. "I'm sure we can find a way to tell her…"

Another exclamation containing Naruto's name came from behind me. I once again turned around to see her: Kushina.

"W-Who's that?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto…" she said, embracing him.

**-Naruto**

I didn't know who it was that so kindly embraced me but something told me that I knew her so I hugged her back. Once we had separated I asked her for her name.

"Kushina," she told me and I went through my mind to try to find a match to that name.

"I'm sorry," I told her, "I can't remember…" To my surprise, she smiled.

"No one would expect you to; after all, you were only a newborn…" That's when it struck me, and everything became clear. Why I had instinctively hugged her, why I thought her face was familiar; she was my mother.

"Mom!" I exclaimed and went to wrap my arms around her again. She laughed and hugged me back.

"Oh, Naruto…It's been so long…"

For the first time in my life, everything seemed right. I had a family, I wasn't alone, and I had friends. I had found the place that I could be the true Naruto Uzumaki.

**-Sakura**

I had done it. Naruto had a pulse and he was breathing. News had leaked out to the villagers and the crowd around me and Hinata kept getting bigger and bigger. When was Naruto going to become conscious again?

But something else was wrong. From my past experiences in healing Naruto, there had always been another chakra there, working with me. But that chakra was gone. Which means something was either wrong with the seal or… no that would never happen. I looked at the Fourth's seal which seemed to be holding. What was going on?

**-Kakashi**

Sakura knew something was wrong and, although she tried to hide it, I knew something was wrong as well. I couldn't feel any trace of Fox chakra and I was starting to worry. The seal looked completely fine. So what was wrong?

Tsunade came through the crowd and got down next to Naruto. "What's the situation?" she asked Sakura.

"He has a pulse and he's breathing, we're waiting for him to regain consciousness," she told the Hokage.

"What about the villagers? Have you informed them of the situation?"

"We were waiting for your word Sensei."  
She looked down at Naruto, slowly moving her hand to check his breathing. Surprise flashed across her face. "Where is the Fox?" she whispered to Sakura in an almost inaudible tone.

"That's the problem Sensei; I can't feel its chakra either."

Tsunade stared at his body and bit her fingernail. "We might have to do something to the seal…" Almost as if to answer to her comment, Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he sat up.

"Ugh," he groaned, "It feels like I just got hit by a train."

The two healers sat still, stunned. "Naruto…" Sakura growled, curling her hand into a fist.

"S-Sakura…Wait before you take any measures that are too extreme…"

Tsunade touched his shoulder. "Can I talk to you real quick?" she asked him in a hurried tone.

"S-Sure…" and the two of them disappeared in a gust of wind.

**-Tsunade**

I brought Naruto to a secluded area and sat down next to him. His condition didn't look too good and I could tell he was trying to hide his pain. "Naruto, what happened when you blacked out?"

My question obviously surprised him. "Uh, I don't really know. I think I was seeing things…Why do you ask?"

"Because there was no trace of Fox chakra in your body." That response surprised him too. "Were you-"

"Dead?" he interrupted. "I was told I was…Look, can you keep a secret?"

"Y-Yeah, of course I can."

"Okay, I was dead. I had totally left my body…"

"That was when you had no pulse…"

"Right, and something else." He looked around and then leaned closer to my ear. "I saw dead people," he whispered.

I couldn't believe it. Was he pulling my leg? "Are you joking?"

"No, I'm not. You see, I saw the Pervy Sage and he told me that I was in 'the realm of the dead' or something like that. I didn't believe him until I saw my father and my mother."

"What?!"

"Yeah, they seemed pretty happy to me…" His face lit up with a smile and I couldn't help but remember Minato's face when he went to fight the fox. He never did come back…

"But that doesn't explain why the Fox chakra was gone…"

"Oh, but it does. You see, when I died, the Nine-tails came with me."

"You mean…"

"Yeah, the Fox was dead too."

"Wait you said 'was'…"

"Yeah, now he's alive again, just like me." So Naruto's and the Fox's lives were linked. To kill one, you had to kill the other, and to save one, you had to save the other. What an interesting seal…

**-Naruto**

I went to Ichiraku's for breakfast the next morning, and tried to forget the disturbing fact that I had been dead. I slid into the stool and gave my order to the old man. I stared at the bar and tried to remember what had happened between me and my parents. All I could remember was how happy I was to see everyone again. Then I was dragged away and found myself in Kyuubi's realm for a short while before I woke up. I shook my head and gave up trying to remember; it was just too confusing.

"One order of ramen the way you like it," he told me, setting the bowl down in front of me.

"Thanks," I told him trying to sound cheerful.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" Ayame asked.

"Uh, no, nothing's wrong."

"Okay, well, enjoy your ramen then."

"Thanks, I will." I pulled a pair of chopsticks from the cup and tore them apart. Today, I was going to forget about everything that'd happened yesterday and go where fate was going to take me. And then I dug into my ramen.


	4. Chapter 4: Fate

**Chapter 4: Fate**

**-Hinata**

Fate has I strange way of choosing people who it wants to twist their life around. Everyone has been touched by fate once in their life, some fewer than others. But when fate truly chooses to mess up someone's life, you can tell. And that was how I could tell that he had been touched by fate. You could tell from the look on his face; his life was about to be turned upside-down.

**-Naruto**

I looked at all the requests that had come in from the nearby villages. "Are we going to have enough shinobi?" I asked Tsunade.

"I'm not sure… All I know is that I don't want to go through all this paperwork…"

Sakura burst through the door. "Bad news you two, I just did a headcount."

"And...?"

"We only have 23 today."

"What?! That's like…Half our ninjas…"

"Yeah, so what should we do?"

"I don't know…"

This time, Shizune burst through the door. "Tsunade-sama, more requests have come."

"Not more…" I groaned. "We're already low on shinobi and the requests just keep flooding in…"

"Sensei, should we give each ninja more missions?"

"We'll have to. Sakura, Naruto, divide these stacks into Jounin, Chunin, and Genin level missions."

"Yes ma'am!" We exclaimed in unison.

**-Hinata**

The shinobi of the Leaf Village had worked hard for 7 days straight. Not to mention the fact that Naruto dropped dead yesterday. According to the Hokage, he's going to be out of commission for the next few days but, knowing Naruto, he's probably going to be at it tomorrow. I feel sorry for Naruto; he's gotten twice the number of missions as the rest of us and completed them all flawlessly. And he had once called himself a failure…

**-Naruto**

I stared at myself as a young boy, looking into the eyes of someone who had been hated. Was this an old memory? Why was I dreaming about this now? I heard soft footsteps behind me and turned around, seeing a wild animal or… what was that?

It looked like Kyuubi but was white with 8 tails instead of 9. It looked to be a girl with blue eyes shaped like his. Were they related? I stared after her as she got in front of my younger self.

"Naruto," she said in a motherly tone. I stared into her eyes and backed away.

"W-Who are you?" I had asked.

"Kazuma is my name. I'm a member of the Demon Fox tribe and sister of Kyuubi Kiru, the legendary Nine-tailed Fox."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You're his Jinchuuriki are you not?"

"Jinchuuriki…I'm sorry… I think you have the wrong person…"

"Naruto Uzumaki? Is that your name?"

"Y-Yes but… I'm not a Jinchuuriki or whatever…"

"Hmm, they must've kept it a secret until you came of age…" She turned her head and took something out of the bag she was carrying. "Take this. It's a scroll for you to use when you realize that Kyuubi is inside of you. Just write your name in blood in the first column and put your fingerprints under that. It will teleport you to our village. Well, I must be going now. Goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki." And with that, she was gone.

**-Sakura**

Turmoil was the best word to describe it. Naruto had gone missing yesterday, disappearing and no one knew where he went. This morning, the shinobi of the village had begun a wild search of the town, searching everywhere from restaurants to hotels yet no one had even caught a glimpse of him. Where could he have gone?

**-Naruto**

I found myself in a small area, forest on almost every side with worn pathways through the trees. Nothing but short buildings was lining the road I was standing on, homes. "Hello?" I called out and suddenly, every sound had stopped. I heard movement from one of the more frontal buildings and a young fox popped out, 5 tails attached.

"What do you think you're doing here human?" he growled at me, bearing his teeth. "If you know what's good for you, you'd turn around and leave our village."

"Um, I'm looking for Kazuma. Do you know where she is?"

"Of course I do. Everyone who is _supposed _to be here knows where she is. Why do you want to talk to her, outsider?"

"Uh, because I know…her brother."

"Ha! If I had a nickel for every time someone told me that. Just leave this town, boy."

"No! I came here to talk to her."

The young fox moved lightning fast behind me, putting his claw against my neck. "I said LEAVE."

I swallowed hard. "I'm not going to…"

"Then you doomed yourself to this fate…" and he slid his claw deeper into my throat.

"Wait Kouga!" Someone shouted. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the same white fox that talked to me that day. She was twice the size, not as large as Kyuubi, but still bigger than me.

"You're…Kazuma, right?"

"So you remembered Naruto, steel trap memory?"

"Wait, is this THE Naruto Uzumaki?" Kouga asked.

"That's right," she answered him.

"I'm so sorry!" he told me, bowing his head. "I had no idea of your identity."

"Uh, don't worry about it…"

"Kazuma, will you teach this boy?"

"Yes, that was my intention." She stared at my face with such intent that it made me feel uncomfortable. Her eyes drifted down to my stomach.

"Uh, you're not going to touch the-"I was cut of as she used some sort of seal breaking jutsu on the seal. A flaming pain spread from my stomach to the rest of my body while I tried to keep my cry of pain contained. "Why did you do that?"

"Hmm, that's a pretty strong seal. I guess I shouldn't underestimate your father now should I?"

"How did you…?"

"Oh, I know all about your parents. I knew your mother in particular. Quite the woman I must say…"

"How did you find my mom in the first place?"

"Oh, she stumbled across this village as a young girl but kept it all a secret for years until she met your father. She told him everything, introduced us too. I offered him a chance to summon but he said he already had a toad summon so I didn't bug him about it. Then, it was like fate had interfered when I learned that my brother got sealed inside of you so I went out on a quest in search of you. I finally stumbled across you in the Leaf Village and by the looks of it; you became a ninja of Konoha didn't you?"

"Yeah…I did."

"Well, with that out of the way, do you know of a way to get Kyuubi out here?"

"No, he doesn't, but I do."

I turned around and saw him. "Kyuubi! How did you do that?"

"Oh, the secrets kept from you Naruto."

"Kyuubi, has it awakened?"

"Has what awakened?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

"No, it hasn't. How do we do it?"

"We can't force it. He has to do it himself. If that ever happens, come back here and I will teach him how to control it."

"Okay. We should probably get going, Naruto, the village is probably going crazy right now looking for you. Goodbye, my dear Kazuma."

She smiled. "Goodbye, my brother." And I didn't see her again until it happened.


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected Visitor

**Chapter 5: Unexpected Visitor**

**-Sakura**

How dare he come back to the village like this after what he did to us? Sasuke, we had grown to hate him. Well, I wasn't sure about Naruto but I sure did. And now I looked at him with evil eyes for what he did to us. He was a traitor to Konoha.

**-Naruto**

We had finally found him: Sasuke. I had waited years for this moment when I could bring him back to the village but I guess something had changed over these past years. I didn't have the same feelings about him. Hate had grown in our hearts, hatred for abandoning us, hatred for not coming back, and, most of all, hatred for showing his face in Konoha after all this time.

We had been exactly alike until he chose a path bent on vengeance and hate. I couldn't follow him; I couldn't follow the path he chose. And, before I knew it, I grew to hate him. I guess I ended up in the same place he did: a place full of hatred. Although mine was hidden, hard to detect, and tangled in memories of love and friendship. How could I hate him when I loved him like a brother? There was only one answer: I couldn't.

**-Kakashi**

Naruto had finally found Sasuke. He had waited for years to bring him back to our village: to be able to treat him like part of Team 7 again. And yet, this was how he came back. Back for the Nine-tails, back for the wrong reason. That's why they had to fight. Naruto had to try, and so did Sasuke. They think of each other as so much different when, in reality, they are alike more than they know. Destined to be brothers, touched by fate.

**-Naruto**

I stood in the clearing next to Sakura, braced for a fight. I knew what I had to do. I would make him pay for every time he made Sakura cry, every time he put a frown on her face, and every time she prayed for him to come back and he didn't. Yes, he was going to pay for all of them.

"Naruto-kun…You know what I want, just come peacefully and we won't have to fight."

"Give it up Sasuke, what makes you think I'm going to Akatsuki now after all these years?"

"I just had to try. I don't want to fight a meaningless battle."

"Meaningless?! What makes you think that any part of this battle is going to be meaningless?!"

"Calm down, Naruto…" Sakura warned.

"No need to get worked up, Naruto-kun. We can settle this in a battle. Actually, I think that's the way that we should settle this," he told me, drawing his sword. "Let's see whose power grew more in the past few years: yours or mine?"

"I don't care whose power grew more. All I know is that today's the day you return to Konoha once and for all, Sasuke!"

**-Sakura**

I couldn't bear to watch it much longer. Sasuke and Naruto had always been rivals, but not like this. It was almost as if a new bloodlust was in the air. My best friend and the boy I'd loved fighting each other, it was heartbreaking. I had to do something.

"Stop it! Please just…stop."

"Sakura, are you…"

"Huh, you always were a crybaby, Sakura."

"Shut up Sasuke! Someone who abandoned their own teammates shouldn't be allowed to say things like that!"

"No, it's okay Naruto…"

"It most certainly is not okay!"

"Naruto…"

"You still get worked up easily don't you, Naruto-kun?"

"I said, SHUT UP SASUKE!"

"STOP!!!" I shouted; I'd run out of options.

"Sakura…If you think that shouting 'stop' and crying will change anything when it comes to a battle you're dead wrong. I could tell back then, you weren't cut out to be a shinobi." Now I was pissed off. "Some people just don't have the natural talent and if you don't, well, that's fine. But I'm telling you now, it's useless to cry and shout unless you do something for real. But…who could expect a GIRL to do anything…" That was it; I broke.

"Sasuke!" and I threw a punch perfectly aimed at his face; a fatal mistake.

**-Naruto**

There was no way we could win. Sakura had been down for a while now, knocked out from throwing a punch at Sasuke that had gotten turned around and aimed at her. And I, I was on the ground, beaten to a bloody pulp while Sasuke barely had a scratch on him. So, after all these years, it seems like Sasuke grew more than I did. Guess I'm not as great a ninja as I thought I was…

**-Kyuubi**

Naruto was out of it. I was the last hope to this battle and Naruto was the one that had to summon me. There was no hope left. I guess darkness had to take over eventually. Unless…by some miracle… the Akugan was awakened…

**-Naruto**

I watched him slowly walk towards me, sheathing his sword. I could feel what was next. He formed the hand signs skillfully, completing the combination in less than a second. "Naruto-kun, you're coming with me, conscious or not. So, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"I'll never go with you, I'll never abandon this village, and I'll never lose to YOU!"

He smirked. "Then you brought this upon yourself…" And his lightning-charged hand flew towards me…

_Naruto? Naruto? Are you there?_ Who was that?

"Who are you?" I asked.

"It's me …" I couldn't hear their name.

"What's your name?"

"…" It was no use. The voice was too faint.

"Please, I'm begging your name…"

"Kushina…" I heard faintly but I instantaneously realized who she was.

"Mom, please, tell me what I have to do…"

"…Follow your heart Naruto…the answer will be there…" Follow my heart?

"I don't understand…"

"…"

"Your voice is fading, I can't hear you!"

"You're dying Naruto! Awaken it now!"

"Awaken what? Mom? Mom!"

"I love you…" I heard her say before I was left completely alone, isolated. I fell to my knees and couldn't help but cry. Cry because I was alone; cry because I'd been rejected; cry because I didn't know what to do. Thousands of memories came flooding back from my subconscious, bringing back the pain of a Jinchuuriki's childhood; the pain of rejection and hatred.

I couldn't stand it any longer. Why were they coming back now, of all times, when I was fighting for my life? Slowly, the painful memories eased away to reveal ones of my late childhood and teenage years. Ones filled with happiness and joy; ones filled with acknowledgement. And I couldn't help but smile, smile because I had turned my life around; smile because I had fulfilled my dream: I had become the Hokage of Konoha.

To my surprise, flashbacks of a different past came after my memories. Ones of other shinobi training, perfecting Jutsus, some of which I instantly recognized. The Shadow Clone Jutsu, the Substitution Jutsu, Chidori, and Rasengan. Somehow, as the memories flashed into my mind, I learned them. It was like having billions of Shadow Clones, working on hundreds of different Jutsus, and gaining all their experience ten-fold.

I found myself gasping for air after the onslaught had stopped, stuck in the same dark world. What was I supposed to do now? I shifted to a kneeling position and stared at my shaking hands. One last memory came into my mind. One of my mom kissing my forehead, just moments after I was born, and dying seconds after that…

Not a second had passed since I had found myself in that strange world, Sasuke's hand was still flying towards my face, Sakura was still unconscious on the ground, and I was still covered in blood. I tried to do something about the oncoming threat, but found my body frozen; what was I supposed to do?

Suddenly, my vision faltered and the ground shook of two quick tremors. I didn't have time to think, I had to do. _Thank you, Mom,_ I thought as I regained mobility, swatted his hand away, and stood up, _for everything._ And with that last thought fresh in my mind, I trudged forward towards the upcoming battle.


	6. Chapter 6: A Battle For Friendship

**Chapter 6: A Battle for Friendship**

**-Naruto**

It was obvious by the look on his face, he was surprised. But more than surprised, scared as well. He had no idea what was going on and, frankly, I had no idea either. Was this the thing I was supposed to awaken? But I didn't have time to think like this, I had to pay attention, I had to be ready.

Sasuke was obviously preparing a Jutsu, but which one? I studied the hand signs carefully, trying to figure it out. It was some sort of Element Ninjutsu…was it Fire-style? I tried to pay more attention but I just couldn't focus. In the back of my mind, I knew I had to do something else, something important, but what was it?

Before I knew it, a massive, flying, fire-bird came racing towards me. Once I saw it, I realized two things. First, what had been bugging me and second, how to stop it. I instinctively formed the hand signs, letting the distinct memory take over my mind. It was obviously a Water-style Jutsu, but it was way out of my league. Even I couldn't master this Jutsu for the life of me; definitely a Jounin-level or higher technique.

But I had found out what I had to awaken. This visual Jutsu was beyond imagining and only I could use it. Suddenly, Kouga's respect for me seemed reasonable. The whole Fox Demon Tribe knew my hidden power, the Akugan. That's why Kazuma left me that scroll, why Kyuubi decided to work with me, and why I could beat Sasuke.

The Water-style Jutsu went through the Fire-style heading in Sasuke's direction but, before it could hit him, it was ignited by black flames. So that was the Ameratsu I was warned about. "A visual Jutsu that burns anything the user focuses it on and never stops burning until the thing affected is completely destroyed". It was a formidable Jutsu but, I was sure I could handle it.

"Naruto-kun, why do you resist so?"

"Huh, anyone who actually KNEW me would know the answer to that, Sasuke."

"I thought you wanted to 'bring me back to the village', or am I wrong?"

"I used to want to, now I want to bring down Akatsuki and restore peace to the Ninja World, even if that means killing you, Sasuke."

"And I am going to get revenge on Konoha for what they did to the Uchiha clan."

"What do you mean? Itachi was the one who destroyed the Uchiha clan…"

"If you actually KNEW me, you would know the truth. The superiors of Konoha made Itachi destroy our clan, it was part of his mission from the very start."

"That's a lie! Konoha would never do anything like that!"

He smirked. "It's the truth whether you believe it or not."

I couldn't believe it. All Sasuke had wanted was to get revenge on Itachi for destroying their clan. What had changed?

**-Sakura**

I could tell the minute I woke up that this fight had dragged on too long. Both of them were on the ground, panting like dogs, and giving each other death stares. Then I looked at my surroundings; there was so much blood covering the field that the grass had become mushy; it was a scene from the Apocalypse.

I would never forget that moment; it was forever burned into my brain. But the problem wasn't the landscape; it was that this time was nothing like before on the roof of the hospital. This time it wasn't just Rasengan vs. Chidori; this time Kakashi-sensei wouldn't magically be able to stop them; this time, my heart was truly going to break.

I suppose Sasuke was right, maybe I was still too much of a crybaby. Or maybe, after Sasuke left, the true Sakura Haruno came out. I found that, once my eyes weren't blinded with adoration, I was able to see who Sasuke really was. Or, maybe a better way to put it is, the Sasuke that Itachi's massacre changed.

"We'll only kill each other if we keep fighting, Sasuke"

"Shut up. I haven't…" He coughed up a bit of blood, only adding to the gallons already there. "…sunken to your level."

Naruto laughed. "I think you're cheating yourself, Sasuke. You've sunken…" And, to my surprise, he stood up swiftly and with just a few scratches. "…below my level."

Sasuke's expression matched mine: pure amazement. For a second, I was happy that one of them was okay. But then, reality struck me. If Naruto only had a few scratches, then all this blood must be from…no way.

**-Kyuubi**

I was wrong…this was more than the Akugan. Could it be that he had the legendary Uzakugan? But that was impossible; it was a rare mutation to the Akugan that only happened in the Uzumaki clan once in a hundred generations. Could it already be a hundred generations later since the first Uzakugan? I would have to ask Kazuma about that sometime…

**-Sakura**

I guess I'm just a masochist. After seeing Sasuke, I was overjoyed but the hole left in my heart only grew bigger after he escaped from our grasp yet again. Maybe Naruto was right. Maybe I'm just lying to myself. I still love Sasuke, but I also love him, more than he knows. And that reality only became clearer as I walked into his hospital room, holding the red roses I knew he wouldn't be able to see.

"Sakura?" he asked, turning his head in my direction. And, when I saw his eyes, the only thing I wanted to do was cry. It was all my fault for letting them battle too long, and now, look what's happened. No matter how much forgiveness Naruto had in his heart, it still wouldn't negate the fact that I couldn't forgive myself.

"Yes…It's me," I managed to choke out.

His face curled up into a smile but then dropped into a frown. "Are you crying, Sakura-chan?"

How could I fool him? "Yes, I am…"

"Sakura…"

What was I doing? It was only going to make him feel worse when I'm the one who should be punished. "I'm sorry, Naruto, I have to leave…" And I rushed out the door without looking back.

**-Kakashi**

Sakura was never going to forgive herself. She thought it "was all her fault" when in truth, none of it was her fault. Naruto and Tsunade both knew that. And it wasn't like Naruto didn't have any of his senses. He could still hear, smell, taste and feel everything that she brought for him. The funny thing is, Sakura and Naruto became like glue after he was discharged from the hospital. She wouldn't leave his side, even for a second, and every mission he went on, she went on. I guess you could say that Team 7 became a team again, but, in reality, Team 7 went from one of the most sent out teams, to one of the least.

**-Tsunade**

I couldn't stand to send him out on missions in the condition he was in. But he just kept begging and begging me to let him go on a mission that I had to send him occasionally. He would always say, "Since I lost my sense of sight, all my other senses are hypened even more. C'mon Tsunade, just let me go on this mission." But I guess he was right. From reports of the others sent out on the mission, everyone says he performed flawlessly, catching every minute detail that everyone else would've missed. Instead of becoming a burden to every mission he was sent on, he became an asset.

Sakura would beg me to stop sending him on missions. Sure, she became his eyes and, don't get me wrong, that _is _a hard job, but he became her nose and ears better than she ever could. Together, they were an unstoppable team. And there was one more thing I noticed after that final battle, Sakura stopped hitting him. Never again did I hear, "Ouch, Sakura! That hurt!"


	7. Chapter 7: The Effects of the Uzakugan

**Chapter 7: The Effects of the Uzakugan**

**-Naruto**

I'd been blind for quite awhile now, three weeks to be exact. And, although I loved having all my senses hypened, I sought out a way to regain my sight. Of course, nobody knew about my secret mission, not even Sakura who has followed me around everyday from dawn 'til dusk, eating every meal with me, and only parting late at night so I could go to bed. And, although it was starting to get annoying, I always found her sitting on the roof of the building next to mine, waiting for me to get up. I guess I never really thought about the effects that would have on her, because, through the grapevine, I heard that Sakura had gotten an illness and has been bedridden for 2 days now. And, although I was concerned about her, I took this limited time alone to head to the only place that might have the answer to getting my sight back: the Demon Fox Village.

---LATER

I teleported to the Demon Fox Village, carefully listening for any sounds. Like before, I heard nothing except for small movements below ground level, families in their dens. Then, the soft pattering of whom I assumed to be Kouga coming up to ground level.

"Oh, it's you Naruto," he said once he saw me.

"Uh, hey Kouga," I told him, trying to sound normal.

"Is something wrong?..."

"Uh, not really. I just wanted to talk to Kazuma."

"Oh, well then, right this way," and I followed the sound of his feet.

We walked into a den which I thought to be big since some voices were echoing from below. "We need to have military force, Kenshin. You can't let our troops keep getting sick like this."

"But Kazuma-sama…we're not in a war now anyway, so…"

"But we need to be prepared. Give them time to recover and put measures in to keep them all well."

"Yes ma'am." And the footsteps quickly passed us, going up the large staircase we were in, muttering something even I couldn't hear.

"Well, Naruto, she's right ahead…"

"'Kay Kouga, thanks."

"Your welcome," and he left too.

I kept the same course until the stairs stopped. "Isn't this a surprise! Haven't seen you in awhile, Naruto!" Kazuma greeted.

"Yeah, I just thought I'd drop in…"

"Well, you're always welcome here. So, what can I do for you?"

"Um…" I tried to think of a way to say it. "I…uh…want to ask you something…"

"Ask away."

"Well…are there any…side-effects of the Akugan?" There was a short silence.

"What do you mean?..."

"I mean…I'm blind."

**-Kazuma**

I couldn't believe it. The Akugan had blinded Naruto? It didn't seem possible. But then, an old memory came back into my mind. It was before the village was really bustling, when only a few Demon Foxes were around…

"Do you want to know a secret Kazuma?" Kushina'd asked.

"Sure, what's it about?"

"It's about the history of our clan, about the legendary Uzakugan."

"Legendary?..."

"Yes. A long time ago, a brave warrior had possessed a more powerful Akugan. The other clans feared him and stayed as far away from him as they possibly could. But the warrior didn't want to be feared, he wanted the war to stop."

"He wanted peace?"

"Yes, and he just couldn't figure out how to convince the other clans to stop fighting. Then, one day, he awoke blinded, and feared that someone would try to assassinate him while he was vulnerable. As he thought, someone actually tried to kill him, and, just as he was about to die, the assassin saw his beloved dead wife. He thought he was seeing ghosts but his wife told him to stop the war. He was so scared he just sat there and, amazingly, the warrior came back to life. The two then sat out to restore peace to the world and the brave warrior became known as 'The Ghost Whisperer' because he showed other clans dead family members in order to get them to stop fighting."

"He showed the other clans DEAD people?"

She laughed. "Yes, Kazuma."

"But how did he do that?"

"He used his Akugan, which became known as the Uzakugan. Many of my clan thought I was going to be the Uzakugan wielder since I'm one of his descendants but, I never awakened any Visual Jutsu out of the ordinary for our clan."

"So how can you tell if someone has the Uzakugan?"

"Well, after their Akugan has entered the first stage, they'll become blind soon after that, that's what legend says anyway."

"That's SO cool."

She laughed again. "You're so easy to excite Kazuma."

Could it be? Could Naruto be the Uzakugan wielder Kushina'd talked about? The clan'd been one generation too early. Naruto would become the next legendary "Ghost Whisperer".


	8. Chapter 8: Thanks to You

**Chapter 8: Thanks to You**

**-Naruto**

1 week has passed since I returned to the village after my "mysterious disappearance". Rumors have been flying around the village about what I was doing and why I was gone. Right now, everyone thinks that it was some miracle that I regained my sight and, for now, I'm okay if they think that's what happened. Tsunade has been badgering me from the day I got back to the village about why I was really gone. I still haven't told her.

It took me 2 weeks to get the whole "3rd step" thing to the Uzakugan, but I think I finally have it. Kazuma says that she "told me everything she knows about the subject", but I highly doubt that. I'm sure she's keeping one or two secrets from me at least. But even though I'm suspicious of her, I am very thankful to her. After all, it was thanks to her that I regained my sight. And, after that, I have never seen the world in the same way. Not only has my Uzakugan partly mixed with my normal vision, but the colors are even more vibrant. I guess that's what being in complete darkness for about a month gets you: a new outlook on life.

**-Hinata**

People say that Naruto "made a deal with the devil", but I don't believe them. And I don't believe that it was some miracle either. There's something else. I can tell by looking at his face; he's hiding something. Something I know is important but can never build up the courage to ask him straight in the face. I guess I can partly blame my love for him for that. I wonder when he'll tell me how he truly feels. I never did get an answer from him after he brought down Pain…

**-Sakura**

I love him. I love Naruto. 3 years ago, I would've thought that idea to be _beyond_ horrifying. But now…I can't stay away from him. Sure, he has the freedom to choose whoever he wants to be with for the rest of his life but…I just want that girl to be me.

**-Kiba**

Naruto had turned into the new Sasuke. All the girls were _crazy_ about him and he really didn't care. I wish I could be in Naruto's shoes. I guess girls don't like guys with dogs, but there was no way I was giving up Akamaru, especially just because I liked some girl…

**-Kakashi**

Naruto would have to choose eventually. Either it was Sakura, or it was Hinata. Which one will it be?...


	9. Chapter 9: Choose Already!

**Chapter 9: Choose Already!**

**-Naruto**

"Hit me chef!" I called out to Tenchi as I slid down into a seat at Ichiraku's.

"Alright! One Miso Ramen coming up!" he called back, dishing out the noodles. Ayame topped it off with some fresh vegetables and plopped the bowl in front of me.

"One cooked-to-perfection Miso Ramen, enjoy."

I grinned, said "Thanks, I will, "and dug in.

"I'll have the normal as well," a voice from behind me said: Sakura.

"Sakura-chan…you're eating dinner with me again?"

I could trace the angry lines on her forehead. "Just let me make it very clear to you that I will not hesitate to punch your lights out anymore."

"Geez, Sakura. I was just joking…"

"Yeah…I could believe that…" and Ayame put her bowl down in front of her, "Thank you," she said to her before turning her attention back to me. "Just like you were just joking when you left the village for 2 weeks on end without breathing a word to anyone, including me. I was sick in bed Naruto, and you didn't care."

"That's not true, I did care."

"Yeah…I could believe that."

"Yes, you could."

We ate in silence for awhile.

"Naruto…I…"

That was weird. "What's up?"

"I…" and everything became clear when my eyes met hers: she was madly in love with me. Her arms went around my neck and she started to pull me closer. There was no way I was doing this. I pushed away and she looked surprised.

"Don't even think about it Sakura. We're just friends, nothing more."

"Naruto…"

"I'm out of here…" and I left her in the restaurant alone.

**-Hinata**

I stalked him from the forest, getting as close to the edge as I could without losing sight of him. I wanted to tell him that I loved him, I wanted him to know, but I…I just couldn't do it. As he got farther and farther into town, I started jumping from trash can to trash can to hide. Strangely, he turned a corner and headed into an alley; I played along.

"Alright, what do you want?" he asked me.

I hadn't expected this. "Um…I…"

"Come on, why were you following me?"

I looked at his face and his expression horrified me. "I…I…"

"Say it!" he practically screamed at me and I couldn't help but break down and cry.

"Hinata, I…I didn't mean to…" he apologized, coming over to help me up. I dried my tears on my sleeve. "I'm really sorry; it's just that Sakura and I…" Had she broken up with him? "You know what, if you're okay, I'm just going to go home and think it over. I'll be fine…" He was completely stressed out.

"You don't look okay to me…"

"Oh, I'm fine, trust me," and he let my hands go. "I'll see you around…" and he headed towards his apartment.

**-Naruto**

What had I done? I'd completely ruined my life in one night. I knew I'd hurt Sakura's feelings and I felt bad about doing that to her. I should probably go apologize to her…and Hinata for that matter. Look what my sour attitude had gotten me. Geez, tomorrow was going to be a mess. It was kind of strange though. The things I'd said to Sakura, they'd been true. I really thought that we should be just friends, nothing more. And I still hadn't gotten back to Hinata. How was I supposed to tell her that I didn't love her either?

**-Hinata**

This was bad. I was sure I had broken my ankle, but I was so deep in the forest that no one could hear me when I called. I tried to move it and the fire shot up through my leg. There was no way I'd be able to get to town. I started looking around for any way to get up while keeping my leg straight. But there was nothing around but trees.

I sighed and just sat there, waiting for help to come. Soon, the crunching of leaves caught my attention. I strained my head and tried to see who it was that'd come this deep into the forest, but I couldn't lean that far forward to see anything; my leg would scream in protest. So I settled for a more verbal approach. "Whoever's there…could you help me?"

Whatever it was started darting towards me and I assumed it was human. As they came around the tree, I saw who it was: Naruto. My heart started racing and I felt like I might hyperventilate.

"Hinata…what are you doing so deep in the woods?" he asked, pulling a first-aid kit from his bag, something I stupidly didn't have with me.

"I was training but…I accidentally tripped and I think I broke my ankle."

He grabbed a bandage and unwound it. Then, he slowly wrapped it around my ankle, tenderly moving it ever so slightly with each wrap, but I couldn't help but wince from the pain.

"I'm sorry…" he told me, trying not to move it as much, "it's going to hurt a little bit."

"I'm fine…it's nothing, really."

He smiled an angelic smile while still concentrating on first-aid. "I happen to have a knack for telling when people are lying, and right now, my instincts are telling me that you are."

He was completely right. "How'd you now?"

"It's just instinctual. You sort of get this vibe…" The rest of the things he said became background noise as I stared at his face. Whatever had happened last night…it wasn't the same person. This was the normal Naruto, the Naruto I longed for. "You know what I mean?" he finished, looking up at my face.

"Uh, yeah, I got you." Even though I had no idea what he'd just said.

"So uh, are we good here?" I tried to move my foot and I groaned. "Whoa, don't strain yourself…"

"Do you offer piggybacks?"

He grinned. "You bet. How much do you want to pay?"

"How about it's free?"

"I'll take you up on that offer," and he came over to pick me up. Idiotically, I totally missed the decently-sized stone at my feet and he ended up tripping over it, on a collision course with me.

**-Naruto**

I fell over a rock, heading straight towards Hinata. I didn't know what to do; I was going to hit her no matter what. But apparently, fate intervened. Our faces came straight towards each other, and I could've sworn I was going to break her nose. But instead, my hands found ground and our lips ended up becoming interlocked.

I totally didn't want this to happen but…as I stared into her eyes…I found a part of myself I didn't know was there before. A part that had always longed for Hinata, overshadowed in my stupid fantasy for Sakura. To my surprise, her eyes closed and she grabbed my shoulders, separating our lips.

"Couldn't…breathe…" she gasped.

"Oh geez, uh…sorry about that. That wasn't supposed to happen…" but when our gazes met once again, it became clear to me just like the time with Sakura. I was madly in love with Hinata.

"Naruto, the truth is-"I cut her off by putting my hands on both sides of her face. Her eyes opened wide and she stared at my face. "I love you…" she finished in a somewhat distorted voice and I pulled her closer so that our lips touched once again.


	10. Chapter 10: Flower Girls

**Chapter 10: Flower Girls **

**-Hinata**

2 months have passed since Naruto and I got married. I was still trying to find places in our cozy little home to put all the wedding gifts. I finished my breakfast and looked at all the cardboard boxes littered around our house. I sighed; might as well get to them eventually.

I looked at the clock: 5:00 a.m.; I was up early. I pulled out a kunai knife and slit open the top of a fairly large box. I put the knife back and pulled the flaps open, revealing what was inside: a coffee maker. I reached in and grabbed the gift tag:

To: Naruto + Hinata

From: Sakura

I smiled. At least Sakura didn't give us another "baby-maker" blanket. We had those coming out of our ears.

I pulled it out and set it on the counter-top. I'd set that up later. I turned and went back to the box, moving some wrapping peanuts out of the way. I stared at what I found. A book? I reached in and picked it up, turning it over to see the cover. "Memories of a Lifetime" was embellished into the cover and underneath, a picture of me and Naruto kissing at our wedding. I blushed and opened up the cover to read who it was from: Kakashi, Guy, and Tsunade. I secretly thanked them and put it slightly open on one of our many display shelves.

Suddenly, I heard ruffling from the other side of the house. I walked over to the hallway and tried to see if anyone was coming. I saw nothing. I brushed it off as nothing and turned around, walking back to the open box.

Before I knew it, I was hoisted up into the air and caught by Naruto. After I'd recovered from the shock, I told him, "So you were up, Naruto."

He laughed. "Is that a crime, Hinata?"

"Maybe. How much do you want your bail to be?"

"How about a kiss?"

"Okay," and I made a pretend hammer, banging it on the air. "Bail set at one kiss," I said in a manly voice before turning my head to kiss my husband.

**-Kiba**

"Here come the newly-weds," I whispered to the rest of the shinobi standing in line once I caught a whiff of their scent. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Which direction?" Sakura asked me, looking behind us.

"Southeast," I whispered back, patting Akamaru's head.

Sakura started spreading it down the line to all the other ninjas. Tsunade came down from her office, looking at the faces of the shinobi on duty today. "Where are Naruto and Hinata?" she asked in an authoritative voice.

"Late," I muttered.

"Trying to skip work, huh."

"No, they're coming, Sensei," Sakura interjected, giving me a cold glare.

"They better be."

The leaves behind us swirled in a whirlwind and Naruto and Hinata joined the rest of us. "You're a little late, Naruto."

"Yeah, I know, Kiba."

"Naruto and Hinata," Tsunade said in a loud tone. "You are about 5 minutes late."

"Sorry, Tsunade-san," Naruto told her. "We were uh…looking through our wedding gifts."

Sakura burst out laughing. "Are you sure you weren't doing something else?" Then the whole line of ninjas started laughing.

"No Sakura, we weren't doing _that._"

"I would hope not Naruto, not when you're on duty," Tsunade told him, a little irritated. "Anyway, if each of you will come forward, I'll give you your missions."

**-Sakura**

The shinobi of Konoha had been on missions for about a week straight now. At least this coming week we had mostly off. I threw my bag down and flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. I wonder what Naruto and Hinata were doing right now. Probably on another one of their post-marriage dates. I shook the thought of what would happen after that out of my mind; I wasn't as perverted as Jiraiya was.

I turned my head to look at my clock: 11:00 p.m. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to get some sleep. At least tomorrow I didn't have another mission…

**-Hinata**

I got up a little late, feeling kind of sick. As I stumbled out of our bedroom and into the family room/kitchen, I noticed a slip of paper on the countertop. I went over and picked it up:

Hinata-

Went out early this morning to Ichiraku's.

Meet you at the Hokage's place at the normal time.

Love you lots,

-Naruto

I sighed and laid the note back on the countertop. I groaned and held my stomach; I might be too sick to work today. I sat down in the couch as another wave of nausea washed over me. Just then, I realized I wouldn't be able to hold it back and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up last night's dinner.

As I cleaned myself up, I noticed the package of pregnancy testers someone had anonymously given me. It wouldn't hurt to check…

**-Naruto**

I prayed she wouldn't be late as I stood in the office, looking at all the ninjas slowly pile up. I stared at the clock: 10 minutes until she was supposed to be here. Hinata, where are you?

**-Hinata**

Mixed feelings came over me as I stared at the pink cross in the window. There was no way I could've gotten pregnant on the first try, so I took the test again. Another positive. Why was this happening to me?!

I turned to look at the clock and realized that I was extremely late. I hurried and got dressed, praying that Tsunade wouldn't punch my lights out.

**-Naruto**

_Hurry Hinata, _I thought as I watched Tsunade gather her papers and start to head down. _If you're not here when she does the headcount…_

"Naruto," someone from behind me whispered and I jumped, half turning around to see who it was: Sakura.

"Oh, it's just you Sakura-chan."

"Where's Hinata? You know Tsunade-sama's temper. If she's not here real soon…"

"I know, I know. The thing is…I really don't know where she is or what she's doing."

"Well, you better find out right now, she's coming."

I looked up and saw Tsunade descending down the steps. I swallowed hard. I turned around to see if there was any sign of her: nothing. _C'mon Hinata, hurry up._

"Naruto!" Tsunade commanded.

"Yes," I responded kind of shakily.

"Where is your wife?"

There was no way she was going to let this slide. "I don't know."

You could tell she was angry. Wait, more than angry, _pissed off._ "I told you not to be late again… you know how that takes time out of the day, time we could use doing missions. So why are you late?"

"Uh…I-I really don't know where or why-"

"Sorry, Tsunade-san," a familiar voice interrupted while a hand landed on my shoulder. "Naruto, I need to talk to you," she whispered, looking a bit anxious.

"We'll be right back," I told Tsunade, turning around to go with her to a secluded place. "What's up?" I asked once we had gotten there.

"I knew you wouldn't've believe it, so I brought proof," and she pulled something out of her pocket.

"Is that-"

"A pregnancy test? Yes."

She gave it to me and I stared at the little pink cross in the window, my jaw dropping a little more each second. "Y-Y-You're…P-P-Pregnant?" She smiled sweetly at me but I could tell that she was worried about how I would react. "T-That's…Great!" Her tensed body relaxed a bit.

"But here's the thing Naruto…I've had really bad cramps all day today…I'm not sure I'll be able to work…"

"It'll be fine. We'll talk to Tsunade about it."

"Thanks," she told me and turned around to leave. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah."

---LATER

I walked through the door, holding a larger-than-normal stack of paperwork. "She's really laying it on you," Hinata observed, eyeing the large stack of papers I'd laid down on the coffee table.

"Yeah, no breaks from being the Hokage," I responded, plopping down into the couch. She scooted a little bit closer and curled her arm inside mine so that our elbows were locked. Then, she grabbed my hand and leaned into me so that her head was resting on my shoulder.

"How long do you think it's going to take you?" she asked, still eyeballing the large amount of paperwork.

"I'm not sure," I told her, rubbing my eyes and yawning, "Maybe past midnight."

She sighed and kissed me for much longer than normal. "Don't be too late to bed, you might get sick."

"Don't worry, I won't be." And she went off to bed, waving one last goodbye to me.

**-Hinata**

I could easily feel it. The pain was extremely bad but not as bad as being punched in the gut by Tsunade. I tried to keep the impediment screams from coming out and I sat up, looking around for Naruto; he was no where in sight. I laid back down as the cramps got worse and I instantly realized what happened next: my water broke.

I started to panic a bit and called for Naruto, trying to take deep breaths. He rushed in through the doorway and, just like me, instantly realized what was going on. "My water broke Naruto."

"Um…Okay…Just stay like that…" and he came over and carefully picked me up.

I groaned. "Just hurry," I told him, trying to sound like I wasn't in too much pain.

Before I knew it, we were in the forest, traveling at a blinding speed. I tried to keep my groans to myself and just bear with it, but some of them escaped my lips.

"Are you alright?" he asked, obviously concerned.

"Y-Yeah…I'll be fine."

He sighed while keeping a steady pace. "You're lying again, aren't you?"

"Nothing gets past you, does it?"

He smiled and said nothing else. Everything was happening so fast that I barely realized that we had gotten to the hospital already. Once we were inside, we found Sakura sleeping behind the counter.

"Sakura-chan, get up!" Naruto called, still holding me.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and moaned, "What?"

"Hinata's water broke; she's going to be delivering any second."

That news woke her up and she promptly hopped out of the chair and came over, looking at the situation. "We have to get her to delivery," she told us and immediately turned to head down the hallway. "Follow me!" she called and ran down the hall; Naruto followed.

**-Sakura**

"Push!" I shouted; Hinata tried with all her might, taking a deep breath, and pushing again. A head popped into my vision. "Come on, push again!"

"I'm…trying!" she screamed at me. I looked at Naruto, still holding her hand, and his horrified expression. He had obviously never seen Hinata like this.

"You're almost there; push again!" I told her once most of the body was out. A large groan came from her and I got the baby in my arms, swaddling it in a blanket. "Congratulations, it's a girl," I told her, handing the baby to Hinata. The expression she wore on her face made it all worth it. Just then, it hit me that she was the one that was supposed to have twins; where was the second one? "Oh, Hinata, you have to keep going. There's supposed to be 2!"

She handed the girl to Naruto and began to push again, while Naruto skillfully held the baby in only one arm. "I don't think I can keep doing this…"

"Yes, you can. You have to keep going." She continued to push but I saw no end in sight; not even a glimpse of a head. Was it already dead? Just then, I saw a little round head in view again. "Oh, it's coming! Keep going!" and she continued pushing. Finally, I was able to swaddle the other one in a blanket and hand her to them. "It's another girl." That perfect expression came back to her face, and, suddenly, all those hours of groaning became worth it.

Only then did I realize the time: 6:30 a.m. "Oh geez, I have to be at Tsunade's place soon."

"Yeah…Can you tell her the news for me?" Naruto asked.

"Sure can. But first, we need to set you guys up in a room," and I started to clean up.

**-Naruto**

"See you guys later!" Sakura called before she left the room, dressed to do a mission.

"Naruto…" Hinata started, "What should we name them?" Only then did it occur to me that we hadn't even picked out any names.

"Um…How about Hana?" I asked.

"Flower? No…But I think that's a good track…What about a specific type of flower?"

"Hmm…" and I started to go through my vocabulary, "How about Ayame?"

"Iris, huh…I like it. Which one should we give that name to?"

"The one that has your hair," I told her, pointing to the brunette.

She grinned. "Okay, what about the other one?"

I racked my brain for another name that wasn't too common. "Kiku," I suddenly blurted out.

A large smile spread across her face. "Chrysanthemum…It's so perfect. Ayame and Kiku…Our dream come true…"


	11. Chapter 11: Happy Birthday

**Chapter 11: Happy Birthday**

**-Naruto**

We certainly weren't late today; in fact, we were the first ones here. Everyone had slowly gathered around, talking in little cliques of friends, including us.

"So many people have been coming through the hospital lately," Sakura said, wiping some sweat off her forehead. "I don't think I'm going to be getting a break anytime soon."

"Don't be so negative, Sakura. I thought you got a break yesterday."

"Yeah, 10 minutes isn't that long, Hinata."

"But it was something, right?"

Sakura sighed. "Easy for you to say; you haven't gotten any missions lately."

"What does that have to do with anything, Sakura-chan?" I argued.

"Oh please, Naruto. Being Hokage is a piece of cake compared to nursing broken limbs and doing surgeries all day long."

"Yeah, but we both have two crazy girls to look after," I reasoned, pointing to me and Hinata.

As if to back me up, Kiku shouted, "Hey, Daddy! Look, we're upside down!"

I looked toward the sound of her voice to see her hanging off the bottom of the highest branch, of the highest tree around, holding her slightly older sister in her hands. "Hey! Get down! Both of you before you break a bone!"

"Oh c'mon Dad! You have so not tried this! Adrenaline Rush!" Ayame shouted and they both started laughing.

"Geez, they're going to kill themselves," I muttered and went up to go fetch them.

"Oh, no. He's coming! Get down Kiki, hurry!" Kiku let go of Ayame's hands and flipped herself right-side-up before going into a freefall herself. I jumped off of the tree trunk and grabbed both their hands, landing on my feet; I set them both on the ground and let Hinata do the scolding.

I walked back to the group. "See what I mean?"

"Okay, I'll give some you credit Naruto, your daughters _are_ crazy_._"

I laughed. "They sure are."

"Are you going to start them in the Academy next year?" Neji asked.

"We were thinking about it. They're five right now, today's they're birthday, and the new school year starts in a few weeks."

"Six is kind of young to start in the Academy…" Kakashi told me.

"I started when I was six and I became the Hokage."

"True…" Neji agreed, looking at everyone else. "Sakura, when did you start in the Academy?" he asked.

"My first year was when I was nine."

"Hmm…I guess starting age doesn't really matter," Kakashi observed. "Oh well. Since they're your daughters, you can start them in the Academy whenever you want."

Sakura's face lit up like she had just come up with a brilliant idea. "I thought you were going to be a teacher at the Academy next year," she sort of sneered.

"What does that have to do with anything, Sakura-chan?"

"It has everything to do with it. You want them in your class so you can look after them, don't you?"

"Fine, I'll admit it; that has _something_ to do with it."

"I knew it! You want them in your class!"

"Geez, quiet Sakura, you're going to let everyone else in on it."

"Sorry…" she started but didn't finish her apology.

"Sorry 'bout that guys, had to do some disciplining," Hinata laughed, looking at our daughters with a serious expression. "Come on…"

Kiku and Ayame glanced at each other. "We're sorry everyone…" they started in unison.

"The truth is…we were kind of bored…" Ayame confessed.

"And climbing trees gets you a real high…" Kiku finished.

Ayame nodded at her sister. "Completely natural…"

"But we're sorry because…"

"It was the wrong thing to do…"

"Mmm, hmm." Kiku nodded in agreement.

"We're so sorry and we promise to be better in the future," they finished and gave each other an it's-finally-over look. Kiku got a sly smile on her face and looked up at me with sweet and adoring eyes.

"Daddy, since it's our birthday, can we go play?"

I sighed and looked at my watch. "I don't want you hanging off trees again…"

"Aww, c'mon dad…" Ayame complained, giving me the same look. Geez, they knew how to get to my sweet spot. "We can go play with seven-eleven," she giggled.

"You're still on that, nee-san?" She turned to look at me. "She means Lee-san and Ten-ten-san's daughter, Suzu." That helped me figure it out.

"As long as they keep an eye on you…" I gave Hinata a watch-them-carefully look and told the group, "I'm going to go see what Tsunade's up to. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Alright," she told me and watched me leave.


	12. Chapter 12: School

**Chapter 12: School**

**-Hinata**

Tomorrow was the start of the new school year but, surprisingly, Kiku and Ayame weren't scared of their first day at the Academy. If anything they were excited; whether that was because they knew they were going to be in their father's class or because they actually wanted to learn some Jutsus, I don't know. But one thing was certain; Naruto would be caught off-guard for who his partner-in-teaching is.

**-Kiku**

I really don't know why everyone was expecting us to be scared. What was so scary about school? It was easy; you learn the Jutsus, get good grades, and you graduate; easy as pie. Having your father teach the same class you are in, well, that was just an extra bonus.

**-Ayame**

The class was lined up in alphabetical order and conversations were being shouted across multiple people. I sat next to Kiku, not exactly paying attention to what she was saying. I was more absorbed in what today was going to be like. Horrifying images flashed into my mind and I tried to clear my thoughts. Hopefully, today won't be as bad as it could be.

"Do you know what I mean, nee-san?" Oh geez, I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Yeah," I said kind of slowly, "I know what you mean."

"Isn't it crazy though? Giant rattlesnakes!" _Giant rattlesnakes?_

"Yeah…crazy…"

"I knew you'd understand. Say, what did you dream about last night?"

"M-Me?" I stammered, not prepared for that question, "I uh…I don't think I dreamt about anything."

A shocked expression was on her face. "Nothing? Absolutely nothing?"

"Y-Yeah…Isn't that normal?"

She still looked dumbfounded. "Normal? Are you crazy nee-san? There is absolutely nothing normal about that." _Really? I'd always thought that it was okay to dream about nothing…_ "It you're dreaming about nothing, you should go see what's wrong with you. I always dream about something." _That would result from your crazy imagination_, I thought, rolling my eyes. "And if you die, I wouldn't know what to do. I'd go crazy and jump off a cliff or drown myself in the river or…" _Great…another one of her insane mind trips._

"Alright," a voice said, obviously not Dad's but whose? As he turned the corner, I recognized his face. He was uh…what's his name? Ikama or something. "My name is Iruka, I will be one of your teachers. And, if you don't like me, well…you better get used to it. I'm going to be your teacher for the next 4 years."

The rest of the children gasped. "Four years?!" somebody shouted.

Iruka chuckled. "Yes."

"Is there a problem with that, Yoshiro?" That was Dad's voice. I looked up to see him sitting on the roof.

"S-Seventh Hokage?" he stammered, sitting back down. Kiku was suddenly interested. If anything could shut Yoshiro up, something was obviously going on.

"Cool," she said, somewhat uninterested. We got all the attention for that. _Why hadn't she just stayed quiet?_

"'Cool', that's it?" another boy said.

"Mmhm," she told him, doodling in the dirt.

"Anyway," Iruka spoke up and I silently thanked him for pulling us out of that situation, "We will be seeing just how advanced your skills are today. I know a lot of you have come from ninja families and you've probably already climbed a tree using your chakra or maybe even walked on water, but we're just seeing where everyone stands today, clear?"

"Yes, sir," we repeated in unison.

"Alright," Dad said, pulling out a stopwatch, "The first one to the river gets a lollipop."

**-Kiku**

I stuffed the lollipop into my pocket. _I finally beat Ayame-san at something, _I thought. Yoshiro looked at me with pleading eyes and opened up his hand, changing his face into a somewhat expectant look. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"How many of you have never climbed a tree before?" Iruka asked. Nobody raised their hand. "So you can all climb trees?" Everyone nodded. "Okay, how about walking on water?" One or two hands showed. "Alright, will the students with their hands raised follow me while the others go with Naruto."

"Seventh Hokage," Yoshiro corrected and Iruka shot him a really-did-you-have-to-say-that look. I laughed. Suddenly, all the attention was on me.

"What? It was funny," I defended.

"Well, are you guys coming or not?" Dad asked.

"Yes Hokage-sama!"


	13. Chapter 13: Pregnant Again

Author's Note: I know the past chapters have been fillers and no action so I'll try to get some arcs in here somewhere. I appreciate all the reviews I've gotten and I'll certainly take your advice into consideration. Sorry I haven't written for so long but here you go, 3 new chapters.

**Chapter 13: Pregnant Again**

**-Hinata**

Kiku and Ayame had gone to work with Naruto. Apparently, he had some paperwork he had to complete. I finished putting in my earrings and was about to leave when I saw that blue box of pregnancy testers again. I sighed. I remembered last night and how awful I had felt. I slowly picked up the box. Why not check?

**-Naruto**

A satisfied grin was on my face as I gathered all the completed paperwork. I glanced at my watch. There was still enough time to go to Ichiraku's for some ramen. I walked to the window. Fear took over my body as I noticed that Kiku and Ayame were missing. I ran out the door with lightning speed and down to ground level. Frantically, I looked around.

"Kiku, Ayame!" I called, listening for a response. Nothing. _Crap, why hadn't I kept my eye on them?_ Involuntarily, thoughts passed through my mind on what could've happened to them. _I can't panic now,_ I thought, clearing my thoughts. My daughters were missing and I had to find them.

"Naruto-kun," a voice behind me said: Hinata. "I have something I need to tell you…" By the expression on her face, it couldn't be anything good. "I'm…I'm…pregnant," she blurted out, staring at the ground.

"T-That's great Hinata…" I started, not sure how to tell her that Kiku and Ayame were gone. "Um…" Her eyes looked at my face.

"Oh...no...no...no…" she told me, realizing what was going on. "Where are they, don't tell me they're gone…" Tears started streaming down her face. "No…they're not…"

"I'm sorry…"

"We have to find them," the first hint of conviction showing in her face. "We can't let them get hurt."

"Yeah, you're absolutely right."

"Then let's go."

**-Kiku**

"Let go of me!" I tried to yell through the hand covering my mouth.

"Shut up," he told me, a red Sharingan in his eyes.

I looked over at Ayame and remembered that it had only taken a second for him to knock her out. I swallowed hard. I was our last chance. _Please be following us, Dad,_ I prayed and bit his hand. Blood streamed out and he instinctively dropped me. I gathered a large breath and screamed as loud as I could, "HELP US!" And that was the last thought through my mind before I was in a completely different world.


	14. Chapter 14: A Quest of a Lifetime

A/N: Action packed chapter definately one of the climaxes I will have coming up. I hope you enjoy and thank you to all my faithful followers. A special thanks to Hannah for reading this. I appreciate it. =P BTW, I turned on anonymus reviews for those who don't have an account and would like to review. No profanity please. Hopefully, I can get another chapter up soon. Thanks as always! -SleepyFox

**Chapter 14: A Quest of a Lifetime**

**-Naruto**

A faint scream sounded through the trees and I focused my Uzakugan on the area while Hinata did the same with her Byakugan.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she asked, faster than me.

"I still haven't found them yet…"

"They're pretty far out. Maybe 5 miles."

"5 miles?!"

"Yeah, they're staying to the side of the road."

We kept the same pace as I searched for them. "Stay locked on them, Hinata," I told her, scared of losing sight of them. A gasp escaped her lips. "What is it Hinata?"

"I-It's…"

"Who?"

"Sasuke-kun." I ground my teeth at the sound of his name.

"Where?" I almost growled.

"He's dragging Kiku and some girl is carrying Ayame." _Karin._ "There are two others with them."

I finally caught sight of them and confirmed their identity. _We have to hurry. _"Grab my hand," I told her, hoisting her up onto my back. _Kyuubi, we're going to need some chakra._

_Cloak, _he stated, although it sounded more like a question.

_Yeah._

_How many?_

_Six._

_A-Are you sure?_

_Yes._ His chakra flooded through my body and I extended the boundary to include Hinata.

"Whoa, I've never been inside of the Demon Fox Cloak before," she told me, seeing it from a different viewpoint. "It feels so…"

"Empowering?" I questioned in a sarcastic tone, my voice somewhat influenced by Kyuubi. "Yeah…just be sure to hold on tight." And we started towards the group at record speed.

**-Karin**

"Sasuke," I said urgently, looking behind us.

"I know. Judging by the speed and the distinct chakra emanating from him, I would say it was Naruto."

"There's someone else as well."

"Probably Hinata. I'm guessing Naruto has grown stronger since the last time we met but now we have something to bargain with." He held up the young girl.

"Who are these children?" I asked him, looking at the girl I was holding.

"Their daughters." That was one answer I was not prepared for.

"Sasuke, he's getting faster. There's maybe 3,000 feet between us."

"Be prepared to fight everyone, and be ready to kill the girls." He handed the girl he was carrying to Jugo and put his hand on a ready position on his sword. "One more thing, don't hesitate to kill the Seventh."

**-Naruto**

I took a detour through the forest, leaving a shadow clone to face Sasuke. "Are you ready Hinata?" I whispered, removing her from the cloak and pulling out a kunai.

"Yeah, ready when you are."

"Just in case this turns messy…I'll be back in a minute."

The water was just to my ankles and it slowly dripped from the leaking pipes. It suddenly struck me that I had known this place for almost 11 years now. I didn't waste any time and ran towards the last corridor. "Kyuubi."

He shifted positions so that he was able to see me. "What is it, Naruto-kun?"

That honorific caught me off guard. He had never called me a friend before and the thought that he trusted me that much made me want to smile. "We're heading into battle," I told him seriously, looking into his eyes. A strange sensation passed through my body as another drip hit the water.

Kyuubi sighed, a completely new thing for me. Never once in my entire time of knowing him had he ever sighed. "Naruto…you need to understand something."

"Understand what?"

"You have incredible power with the Uzakugan, definitely a gift from the heavens but…if you add my power to the power you already posses…I guess I'm just trying to tell you that with great power comes great responsibility." At first I was shocked. Why would Kyuubi tell me something like that?

"Well that's new…"

"Naruto, I'm worried about you," he suddenly blurted out. I started to say something but he cut me off. "Your father wasn't there for you when you were young and I have never stopped blaming myself for the years I wasted with you." If I hadn't been so paralyzed with shock, I might've cried. "You're a good person, someone worthy of praise. And I just want you to know that I'm here for you." He stuck his paw through the bars.

It all came flooding back, the first time I met him. When he had tried to kill me. I saw it all in a new light. I was so happy I couldn't hold back some tears. Of course, this alarmed Kyuubi to which he questioned why I was crying.

"I'm just happy, that's all," I told him, wiping the tears away with my sleeve and shaking his paw.

"What was that about?" Hinata asked when I opened my eyes again.

"Just some business I had to take care of," I told her, smiling. "Let's go."

**-Kiku**

I found myself in a whole new world. I sat up and looked around, paralyzed in awe at the wildflowers surrounding me. I stood up and began walking. _Am I dead?_ I questioned myself, realizing that I wasn't in the strange, orange world anymore. "Hello?" I called timidly, afraid of what I might find here.

A howl sounded through the meadow and an answer echoed through my head: "Hello! I'm here, I'm here, Master!" The end took me by surprise. _Master?_

"Who are you?" I called out, listening carefully for an answer.

"I don't have a name. You must name me, Master." _Why was it not coming from a specific direction? The sound was surrounding me like…was it all in my head?_

"Where are you?" I asked next, looking around for any movement.

"Wherever you want me to be, Master." _Why was he giving me roundabout answers like this?_

"A straight answer would be nice…" I mumbled, irritated.

"I am sorry, Master. I am giving you the best answer I can give." _He heard that?! But…how?_

"Do you know what I am thinking right now?"

There was silence for awhile before an answer came. "Strange question, Master, but I will do my best to deliver the answer. When you want me to, I can know your thoughts. Such as right now."

"I don't want you to know my thoughts now!" I screamed out, alarmed.

"I am sorry, Master."

"Stop calling me that!" I was starting to get irritated.

"But…"

"And where are you? Get here right now! I want to see your face!"

"I cannot, Master. You must call me yourself."

I stopped my ranting. "Call you?"

"Yeah, with your heart." _Is this guy TRYING to confuse me?_ "Just like Naruto." _Naruto? That was Dad's name. But…when did he find out about that?_

"How do you know my father's name?"

"Many things are shared between Demon Foxes. Including prior knowledge."

_Demon Fox? Prior knowledge?_ "But what does this have to do with my father?"

"Don't you know? He's the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed Fox."

_Dad was…No way. _"Don't lie to me…"

"I'm not. There's no need to be afraid of us. Really, deep down, we're all very nice. Have you ever met Kyuubi?"

"Kyuubi? What are you talking about?"

"It's the name of the Nine-tails. Man, has anyone told you anything?"

"Yes," I said, rolling my eyes. _You're the confusing one._ "Hey, fox; do you know where this place is?"

"Of course. It's your mind."

"M-My what?"

"Your mind."

"Why are you inside my mind?"

"Because I'm sealed inside of you. Master, I'll show myself. Summon me."

"I don't know how…"

"Yes you do. Please, we're running out of time. Believe in yourself…" His voice was fading.

"Wait!" I pleaded. _Believe in yourself, believe in yourself, believe…_

**-Naruto**

I was breathing hard. _When had Sasuke gotten so strong?_ It felt like I had no chakra left, even though I knew Kyuubi still had plenty.

_Are you alright, Naruto?_

_Yeah…I'll manage._

_Don't hurt yourself…_

_Kyuubi, don't worry about me. I'll be fine, I promise._

_Okay…but I'm holding you to that promise._

_Don't you already know? I never give up and I never go back on my word because that's my nindo, my ninja way._

_I know, Naruto-kun. Be careful._

_You've got it._

"I thought you stopped relying on the Nine-tails' power, Naruto-kun."

"Dream on, Sasuke. Are you just scared of me now?"

"Of course not. If I was, I would be the one panting like a dog." So he had caught on to that.

"Please, just give us back the girls and we can all leave peacefully," Hinata pleaded from behind me.

"Not until we get Naruto and the Nine-tails."

"B-But…"

"Are you an idiot? If you did that, I'd die."

"So?" I couldn't believe it. Not even a shred of our friendship was left. That's when I realized: time isn't a healer, time only makes things worse. I suddenly remembered Sakura's face the day we'd left to go find Sasuke. I was only a Genin but I somehow felt ashamed that I hadn't come through on my promise. It was the only time I had broken my nindo.

I was filled with rage. Anger because of what he had done, not only to me and Sakura, but to all of Konoha; anger because he never came back; anger because of the trust he broke; anger because our friendship was no more. "Why…Sasuke?"

"I already told you the answer to that. It was on a whim."

"But why to Sakura? To Sakura of all people…why?"

"I was going to leave anyway. It just so happened that Sakura was caught up in it. Besides, I had no choice; the curse mark was just going to hold me back." My anger was rising. "And if I hadn't left Konoha, I would still be a worthless ninja like you." I was at the end of my line.

I moved towards him so fast his Sharingan could barely keep up. My mind had gone completely blank in that one second, astonishing not only myself but everyone around me. _Kill, kill him, die, _was all I could think. What happened next I would regret for the rest of my life.

**-Kiku**

Suddenly, he was in front of me, a light blue fox. _He's so cute!_ I celebrated. He had eight tails and frost blue eyes, but not an ugly periwinkle. They looked like ice, but not cold and hard. Somehow, they looked warm and inviting. No black markings outlined his eyes or mouth; whiskers were what framed his pretty face.

"You did it, Master!"

"Y-You're so…cute." He was taken aback for a second. Then a smile lit up his face and shown in his eyes as well.

"Thank you, Master. Have you thought of a name now that you've seen me?"

"N-No…but…" I looked around for inspiration. Finding none, I sighed and closed my eyes, tilting my head upward (something I do to clear my mind). I slowly opened my eyes to the brightly lit sky. "Sora," I suddenly blurted out.

"Sora?"

"Yeah…it has a nice rhythm to it. Do you like it?"

"Oh, yes, Master. It's a perfect name." He beamed at me. "Master, what would you like me to call you?

"Kiki. It's my nickname; a variation of Kiku."

"Oh, I think both names sound real nice. You were named after a flower, huh?"

"Chrysanthemum, yeah."

"Oh, we must go. Here, take my hand," he told me, holding his paw out. I was about to touch it but pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"What's going to happen when I touch it?"

"I'll give you my chakra so you can break the Mangekyo Sharingan's visual jutsu. Don't worry, I won't bite." I grasped his hand. A mixture of power and pain spread through my body. It felt like 1,000 bees were stinging me all over my body and I winced from the pain. "I know it hurts a little the first time. Please bear through it, Kiki-san."

~*~

I woke up to a dirt road, Ayame lying unconscious on the ground, Mother with a horrified look on her face, and blood, everywhere. "W-What happened here?" I asked shakily, just coming to my senses. No one answered me so I looked around for Dad. I spotted him, lying unconscious or dead, I couldn't say for sure, next to four other corpses. "M-Mom…please…don't tell me Dad did this…" She didn't answer. "Mom…"

"Oh, Kiki…" and she just started crying. So he must've done it. Father had killed four people. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Ugh," Ayame groaned, just waking up, "What's going on here?"

"Dad…" I started but couldn't finish. The truth was too horrible to be spoken aloud. _Why, Dad? What happened here? Why would you kill them? What is going to happen to you now? Are you going to be stripped of your title as Hokage? Why are you lying there like that? Why won't you answer me? Are you dead? Why did you do this? Just…why?_ All the questions that couldn't be spoken aloud, although I knew everyone had them on the tip of their tongue. And, for once, I wasn't the first one to speak the taboo question.

"Did Dad kill them? All of them?" Ayame asked, staring at me as if I was the only one who knew the answer.

"I-I don't know what happened here…Don't ask me…"

A loud groan sounded and I turned to the source. "What have I done?" he said aloud, to no one in particular. I stared at his blood-stained hands. _This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening…_


	15. Chapter 15: Questions and Regret

Author's Note: Here you go! One more chapter for you guys. I've been thinking about wrapping this up, but I can never find the right time to. Hopefully soon. xD Sorry if I can't get another one up this weekend. I have to juggle studying for tests with writing Fanfic. xD I started writing a Bleach story in third person since I had gotten tips not to do this again. I have tried to make the entries longer recently. Anyway, check my profile for new updates. (I know it sucks right now, I'll try to fix that!) Thx as always. -Sleepy Fox

**Chapter 15: Questions and Regret**

**-Kiku**

Dad had passed out again soon after he had woken up. The four of us headed back to Konoha in silence, too scared to face the truth.

"Ninjas die everyday," Ayame said aloud.

"That doesn't make it right to kill someone. Besides, that all happened when wars were going on. Right now there is a time of peace. Ninjas shouldn't be dying right now." _And ninjas shouldn't be killing other ninjas either._

"Didn't the Third die when a war wasn't going on?"

"But he wasn't killed by one of his own." _Much less a former teammate._

"Just don't worry about it, we'll sort it out when we get back to the village," Mother stated depressively, obviously sad and scared about the whole ordeal.

No one spoke another word until the village came into view.

---LATER

"There it is!" I exclaimed, seeing the big green doors with 'Konoha' written in red paint across them. I ran towards the entrance with Ayame.

"Hey!" one of the gatekeepers called out. I slid to a halt in a mixture of shock and fear. "You're…"

"Ayame and Kiku…" the other one finished, rubbing his eyes as if he was seeing something. "But…when did you two leave the village?" _They hadn't even noticed?_

"We were…uh…"

"Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san," Mother said from behind me, coming to give Dad to them. "He's out cold but he has a pulse." Their eyes grew big as Kotetsu took him.

"Hokage-sama," they said in unison. "We'll take him to the hospital."

"Thank you…" she told them before passing out herself.

"Hinata-kun!" they both exclaimed.

"Mom!" Ayame called out, rushing to her side. "Mom, mom, come on, get up…" she repeated, shaking her.

"You're going to give her a seizure, Ayame-san," I told her, coming to lift her head up. It felt like a feather in my hand. _What? Mom's head shouldn't be this light… If her head is this light…maybe I could…_ I stretched out both my arms and lifted her entire body effortlessly, to which everyone was amazed. "Let's go," I told them, acting like it was nothing.

"K-Kiki…you're…"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll explain it later."

---LATER

"How did you do that?" Ayame asked, kicking her foot in the water.

I looked around to see if anyone was watching, then I leaned in next to her ear, "If you promise not to tell anyone…" I looked around again. "I met this Demon Fox, his name is Sora.

"Demon Fox?" she asked aloud.

"Shh," I whispered, "Not so loud."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's Dad. He's the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. But he told me that was the truth and, from the looks of it, that is the truth."

"How do you know that?"

I took a quick look around and pulled a scroll from my pocket. "Look, I found this in Dad's old apartment."

"What is it?"

"I didn't know either. So I brought it to Kakashi-san and he told me it was a teleportation scroll, like the ones found with summons."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Do you want to try it out? He told me how to use one."

"Sure, let's go."

"Alright." I bit my finger, letting the blood seep out, and I spread it to each one of my fingers. Then, grabbing Ayame's arm, I stuck my hand in the center of the scroll. Before I knew it, we were in a strange village.

"Where is this place?" Ayame asked, looking around.

"I'm not exactly sure myself."

"Who are you two?" someone growled from behind us, his claw on my throat.

"Whoa, we come in peace," I told him, sticking my hands up innocently.

"Why are you in this village, and how do you have that scroll?"

"I found it and because we were curious."

"Then you best leave. We don't accept outsiders."

"You're a Demon Fox, right?" Ayame asked abruptly.

"Yeah, what about it, little girl?"

"Well, from our understanding, a Demon Fox is sealed inside our father."

A surprised look appeared on his face. "Inside your father? What is your father's name? Is that how you got that scroll?" _What was this? 20 questions?_

"Yes and our father is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh, then you two must be his daughters."

"Yeah, that's right," I told him, jerking his hand away from my throat. "Show some respect." He looked irritated. "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, you seem pretty spoiled. Not what I would expect of his daughters." I rolled my eyes at him.

"The only one spoiled around here is you," I mumbled, turning around and crossing my arms, the perfect act of defiance. His claw appeared at my throat again, drawing blood this time.

"Care to say a snotty remark like that again?" I swallowed hard. "You'll be dead so fast your head'll spin."

"Please don't kill her," Ayame pleaded.

"Kouga! Lay off," an authoritative voice announced.

"Kazuma-sama," he said, pulling away.

"Who are you two?" she asked, looking between us and then stopped on me, sizing me up.

"I'm Kiku Uzumaki."

"And I'm Ayame Uzumaki."

"Wait, wait, wait. Uzumaki?"

"Yes," I said slowly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no, no. It's just…Are you Naruto's daughters?"

"Yeah," Ayame replied. "You're a good guesser."

She laughed. "Follow me; I'll get you two some lunch."

**-Kyuubi**

"Naruto it's not your fault; you lose your mind when all nine tails appear," I rationed, trying to comfort him.

"Yeah, but I actually _wanted_ to kill him, I really felt that way." He drew a circle in the water with his foot and watched as it disappeared. "I shouldn't've let my emotions take me all the way to nine tails in the first place. It was a stupid mistake. But…now he's gone…" A tear dropped from his chin to the water, a small 'splash' echoing through the underground maze of corridors. "How am I going to tell Sakura-chan?" I didn't know what to say. I would've said something like 'just give it to her straight' but I knew that would only make things worse. Silence fell between us. "Kyuubi-kun, what should I do?"

"I don't know."

He sighed and held back his tears, staring at the blank wall as if there was something interesting about it. "I went so far to bring him back to the village…What have I been doing all this time?" *splash* "I went too far this time. What will Sakura think?" *splash* "What will Konoha think?" *splash* Sobs started to come from him and I started to panic, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't just make things worse. "What will Jiraiya think? What will my parents think?" *splash, splash* "God, how bad are things going to get? Two seconds seems so…" *splash* "Minute and small…" *splash* "I can't live with this regret forever. Kyuubi, what am I going to do?"

"Forget about it. Like it never even happened." Wrong answer.

"Forget?! How am I just supposed to forget that I murdered one of my friends, a former teammate?! How am I supposed to forget their faces and all the blood everywhere?! You can't just forget stuff like that!"

"Naruto…" _I had warned him about this but he just doesn't listen to me, does he?_ "I'm sorry. I should've told you straightforward what I was afraid of before you went into battle. But you'll be fine. Time's a healer."

"Time only makes things worse. Look at my relationship with Sasuke. Did time heal that?" _Obviously not._

"No."

"See? Oh, what am I going to do?" He got up and started pacing. _Is he going to be okay or is he going to have some emotional breakdown that I'll have to help him through?_ "I've got it. I'll go talk to the Pervy Sage and my parents first. Then we'll see if I can tackle the conversation with Sakura. Alright, ready to go, Kyuubi?"

"Yeah, ready when you are."

"Then let's go."

**-Kiku**

"Sora, have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on the moon?" I asked, staring at the brightly lit, almost plate-shaped figure in the sky.

"No, but now that you mention it, Kiki-san, I think it might be fun."

"How's that?"

"Well, you could bounce around in zero gravity, and jump thousands of feet into the air. Then, instead of watching the moon at night, you could watch the Earth as it slowly turned around and around."

"Oh…yeah…that would be nice…"

"Kiki-san, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a wildflower?"

"Oh yeah, a lot of times. It would be so peaceful, just waving in the breeze like that. No one expecting anything of you but just to be different; to be yourself…"

"No regrets."

"Yeah…nice." I smiled and turned my head, facing him. "Sora, what's your favorite color?"

"Blue and not an ugly periwinkle. Light blue, like my fur."

"Mine is yellow. But not an ugly bright yellow. A golden yellow, like chrysanthemums."

"A golden yellow…pretty." I smiled at him. "This might seem strange but…what's your favorite number: one or two?"

"Two, of course. One is so lonely, like a single bird flying across the sky, no one else to rely on. No one to share your hopes, your dreams with. All you have is yourself, alone in solitude."

"Yeah…I like two more too," he agreed, beaming at me with his smile that would light up anyone's day. We both laughed. That was when I knew, Sora was going to be more than just a friend. He was going to be my crutch.


	16. Chapter 16: Graduation

A/N: Sorry this is kind of a filler chapter but a totally cool arc is coming up! Plus Hinata's prgnant again and I'll take ideas for names of new kids (maybe even some personalities) You will like who their new sensei is tho. =P Thx for reading this far!

-SleepyFox

**Chapter 16: Graduation**

**-Kiku**

The classroom was buzzing with conversation. I sat, tensed as I waited for Ayame to return. _Why is she taking so long?_ I thought frantically. A loud "Yes!" sounded from the other room and I knew she'd passed. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kiku Uzumaki," Iruka-sensei called out. "Good luck."

As I passed Ayame in the doorway a soft "Transformation" sounded in my ear. _Not the Transformation Jutsu! It's my worst Jutsu!_ My knees started shaking as I stood in front of the Hokages. _Calm down, Kiki, it's only the Transformation Jutsu,_ I tried to reassure myself.

"When you're ready, go ahead," Tsunade said in a monotone voice, the side of her face resting in her palm.

_Sora?_ I asked timidly. _Are you there?_ No response.

I haven't been able to feel his chakra for weeks. Where was he? I quickly formed the seals, not wanting to embarrass myself, and prayed my own chakra would be able to cut it. "Transform." The cloud of white smoke appeared around me and I did an once-over of my body. It wasn't the best transformation I've ever done but it would hopefully pass.

-----LATER

"Who do you think our sensei is going to be, Ayame-san?"

"I don't know. But I can tell you he's later than he should be, Kiki."

A loud groan sounded from next to us. "Why has everyone else met their teachers yet ours hasn't even shown up?"

"Shut up and stop complaining Yoshiro, or is that all you're good at?"

"Look who's talking, Ayame-chan." Before I knew it, she was holding his collar in her clenched fist.

"Drop it, Yoshiro."

He stuck his tongue out at her. _Was he trying to get himself killed?_ I frantically looked around for something to distract them. "Hey, let's play a prank on whoever it is." They turned around to look at me.

"What do you have in mind, Kiki?" she asked, releasing her clenched fist.

"How about putting the eraser on top of the door so when he opens it, it will fall on his head?"

"No, that's too obvious," I told him, pondering another thought. "What if we got a bucket of water and put it on a plank above the door. If we put it at the right angle, it would drench him."

"We would have to hide it then."

"I can do that," I told them. "Yoshiro, you go find a bucket." He darted outside and came back a few seconds later.

"Here."

"Alright." I grabbed the bucket and ran to the window. I turned the tap on and filled the bucket to the brim, bringing it back inside. "Can you place this right, Yoshiro?"

"Sure," he told me, placing on top of the plank. "Do you think it will hit him?"

Ayame used her Byakugan. "Yeah, perfectly."

"Now all we have to do is wait," I said aloud to no one in particular. _Was this guy really going to fall for such a cheap trick? After all, he _is_ supposed to be a Jounin. _As if to contradict me, our new sensei walked through the doorway, the bucket tipping over, and drenching him in water. The entire room burst out laughing, except for him of course. He stood there, his eyes partly closed in annoyance.

"Okay, whose cheap trick was that?" he asked.

Still giggling, Yoshiro pointed towards me. _Genius._

"Kiku…" he started, taking his shoes off and dumping the water out of them.

"They were in on it too," I mumbled, crossing my arms.

He sighed. "I guess I kind of deserved that. I was late after all." _What a suck-up._ "Let's get out of here; follow me."

-----LATER

"I want each of you to introduce yourselves. Start with your name and go on to things you like, things you hate; dreams for the future. We'll start with you on the right."

"I don't really get it, maybe you could start by showing us an example," Yoshiro told him, obviously confused.

"Okay then. My name is Kakashi Hatake. There are a lot of things I like. As for dreams and hobbies, well, I don't really have any." _A lot of help that was. All he really told us was his name._

"Okay. I'm Yoshiro Shirosaki. I don't particularly like anything and I hate a lot of things. My dream is…TO BECOME HOKAGE SOMEDAY!" He burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Yoshiro asked him.

"Nothing. You just remind me of someone. How about you in the middle?"

"Me? I'm Kiku Uzumaki. I love chrysanthemums and not just because I'm named after them. I also love sunsets and fields of wildflowers. I hate people like Yoshiro and the color periwinkle. My dream is to become a great shinobi and die heroically in battle someday. My hobbies…I like to draw and dance. I also love to figure skate."

"Nicely done, Kiku. And what about you?"

"I'm Ayame Uzumaki. I like to watch sunsets and practice Jutsus. I don't really hate anything, except Yoshiro." A groan came from next to me. I sighed. "My hobbies are to visit new places and teach others."

He smiled. "You look like someone fun to have on the team. Alright, I want you all to go home and get some rest. Tomorrow we will have our first mission."

"But everyone else has already gone on some fun adventure somewhere," Yoshiro complained. "Why do we have to wait 'til tomorrow?"

"Just shut it, Yoshiro," Ayame warned, her hand curled into a fist.

We all got ready to leave. "By the way, be sure to skip breakfast tomorrow. You'll regret it if you don't. Ta," he said before disappearing in a cloud of white smoke.

"What did he mean 'skip breakfast or you'll regret it'?" I asked, mirroring everyone's astonished looks.

"I don't know. But, judging by the fact that he's a Jounin, I'm skipping breakfast tomorrow."

"You bet," we remarked in unison.


	17. Chapter 17: Hidden Power Released

**Chapter 17:** **Hidden Power-Released**

**-Yoshiro**

I dragged my feet as I walked to the training ground we were supposed to meet at. It'd been a horrible idea to skip breakfast, even if our new sensei had told us to. I clenched my groaning stomach. _What was he expecting us to do anyway? As if a real ninja ever went without a meal…okay, maybe once in awhile. But we're Genin. You wouldn't skip breakfast on a D-rank mission._ I looked up and saw my twin rivals lounging around. _Should I really go out to face them?_ I looked back. _Maybe I should just go back home…_ but then I thought about the lonely shack I lived in and remembered why I even wanted to become a shinobi in the first place; and I trudged on forward.

**-Kiku**

"I think we have a bad sensei," I said aloud, drawing a tic-tac-toe board in the dirt with a stick. "Anybody want to play?"

"Sure," Ayame told me, squatting down next to me. "You want to go first?"

"Yeah." And I drew an "x" in the center square.

Next to me, Yoshiro yawned. "Wake me up when the Jounin comes," he said and laid out across the grass, closing his eyes.

I laughed. "I'll be sure _not _to." And placed another "x" in a corner space.

"You three talk like I'm not even here."

Yoshiro jumped to his feet. "Where have you been sensei? You told us to be here an hour early!"

"More like you're late," I mumbled.

He only laughed and smiled halfheartedly. "Since I'm late, we might as well start our training now." He pulled two silver objects from his pocket: bells.

"What are those for?"

"Your training. Anyone who gets one of these bells will get lunch."

"But there are only two bells!" _There he goes again; complaining at every turn._

"Exactly. So one of you won't get lunch. Oh, and if no one gets a bell by lunch…you all go back to the Academy."

"B-Back to the Academy?" Yoshiro asked, his knees shaking. Suddenly, his body calmed and his hand clenched into a fist. "Well I'm not going back, no matter what."

I laughed. "Yeah, we'll have to save you from that fate."

Ayame giggled next to me. "You're lucky you got stuck in _our_ group."

"Lucky? Are you kidding?! It's the worst thing that's happened to me all year!"

They continued to argue relentlessly, all the while sensei just stood there with an expressionless face. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure him out. _He has experience._ "Come on guys; let's team up on Kakashi-sensei." For once, they stopped their bickering and looked at me with this strangely dumbfounded look.

They gathered themselves together because Ayame stood up straight and turned her attention to Kakashi. "Yeah, let's do it." And we charged at him without a second thought. But, before I knew it, the kunai I'd drawn was behind my head, pointed at me.

"Don't be so hasty, I haven't even said start yet." I tried to yank away but to no avail. "Now," he said, releasing me, "Start." We again charged at him but with more caution this time. "Naruto taught you the three basic ninja skills, didn't he?"

"Of course. The first is Taijutsu: hand-to-hand combat," Ayame told him, being the nerd who knew everything again, and threw a well-aimed punch at him. He dodged it, duh, but his comeback was unexpected.

He formed the tiger hand sign in his hand, even I knew how dangerous it was. I knew Ayame wouldn't be able to survive a hit like that and, inside, I started to panic. _What should I do? What should I do?_ The thoughts started to swirl in my head so fast I couldn't think straight. _Do something. Do something…_ and my vision began to fade in and out. I knew he was saying something but, although he was right next to me, his voice sounded distant and vague. Then, a smaller voice from inside me: _Kiki-san, are you okay? Kiki-san? Kiki-san!_ And I clung to the only clear, certain thing I had left.

_Yes, Sora, I'm here._ By that time, the light was completely gone.

**-Yoshiro**

Even though I was back, away from their small group, I could tell something was wrong. Ayame looked green, like she was sick, staring at the two fighting on the ground. And, Kiku, she was hard to explain. A sort of cloak enveloped her, light blue, matching the sky. She didn't look sane, totally insane, like she had rabies. As I got closer, I could hear Ayame whispering things to herself: "Move", "Kiki", "Stop", "Please", "Do something". A pleading look was in her eyes, like a puppy with deep, black eyes, although hers were a light khaki. "Help her," she whispered, directed at me, her voice cracking at the end. I couldn't say anything, the lump in my throat was too large, but I did remember one thing: I never looked at Kiku the same way. In fact, I veered away from her, afraid that same, deranged monster would come back out. I knew the possibility was there, and that was why I couldn't stand her. When my friends seemed to be clueless of the danger, I would tell them what I saw, and they would stay away from her too. As we grew up, I began to see the same pain in her eyes, the one that used to be in mine, the one longing for acceptance. But it was too late, what had been done was done, and, no matter how much I wanted to take my words back, I couldn't. She was a monster; and no matter how much she didn't want to be, she couldn't change what she was: a demon.

**-Kiku**

"Nee-san! He's hurting me!" I heard from the other room and sighed.

"Yeah, hurting us!"

"H-U-R-T-I-N-G us!"

"No I'm not!"

"You be quiet."

"Yeah, be quiet."

"B-E quiet!"

"Stop telling me what to do!"_ Why had Ayame and Byakuya abandoned me to take care of these four!?_

"The next person who says something is answering to me!" Finally, silence. I secured my Jounin headband and headed toward the front room. I'd walked into a stare down. There was Akio, his expression furious; they must've done something to him. And there were the Devil Triplets: Aki, Ichigo, and Mori. I could just imagine what they'd be saying to him right now:

_First it would be Ichigo: "You're a loser!"_

_Then it would be Mori: "Yeah, a loser!"_

_And Aki would spell it out for them: "L-O-S-E-R!"_ I couldn't help but giggle at their little quirks.

"Kiki-san, are you angry with us?" Aki asked, always the observant one.

"No, not really Aki-chan. But we do have to leave, are you guys coming?"

"I'm coming!"

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

"I-apostrophe-M coming!"

I laughed. But then I noticed they weren't wearing their headbands. "Today's your orientation…where are your headbands?"

"We didn't want to get them dirty, so we put them in our pockets."

"Yeah, in our pockets."

"I don't need to know how it's spelled Aki," and her mouth snapped shut. "Well, just put them on when we get to class, even though I'm your sensei."

"Y-You're our new sensei?!" Ichigo asked, and for once the other two didn't repeat what she just said.

I only smiled. "Don't tell the others I told you."

**-Yoshiro**

I saw her with her three sisters. Somehow, she looked more like a mother than an older sister. A pang of pain ran through me as I thought of how lucky they were to have an older sibling, to have anyone. I gritted my teeth. I'd treated her bad, along with everyone else, and she still turned out better than I did. Here I was, the beaten Chunin, because I was too scared when that monster ran toward me and nearly tore out my windpipe. How had she won? How come she becomes the Jounin? How come she was so happy now, even after her tortured childhood? She looked up from showing her sisters the Rasengan. I quickly turned my attention away from her and continued on home.

"Wait, Yoshiro!" she called out and I heard her footsteps coming.

"What do you want?" I asked, my stare cold.

She looked hurt at my initial rejection. "I-I…"

"If you have something to say, out with it."

"Do-Do you want to join us? I just thought you looked lonely…"

"Who would want to waste their time with a monster?" and I turned to leave.

At first, she was silent, which is why I was so surprised when the sudden outburst came. "Well I was just trying to include you! But who would want to spend time with a _monster_ like YOU!" When I'd finally turned around, tears were in her eyes, and whisker marks were on her face. She turn and ran so fast she was there one minute and gone the next, leaving her sisters in the clearing.

"You _are_ a monster," the red-head said, walking towards me.

"Yeah, an utter monster," the brunette repeated.

"M-O-N-S-T-E-R!" the blonde shouted and I felt my feet come off the ground. _What was happening?_ Suddenly, they surrounded me.

"We could kill you right now," the red-head started, the same cheek markings and eyes on her face as Kiku had.

"Yeah, we'll kill you," the brunette reiterated, and I noticed for the first time the streaks of green in her hair.

"K-I-L-L," the blonde spelled, more thrilled than the others. "B-I-T-E."

"No, Aki, we can't do that. You know that once we start we won't be able to stop." Her look was serious. _Was this for real?_

"O-N-E, P-L-E-A-S-E, I-C-H-I-G-O." _Could she only spell her words? What a freak…_

"Mmm," the brunette chimed in, "He at least smells good."

"Self-control, Mori-kun," the one called Ichigo warned.

"S-M-E-L-L-S G-O-O-D," Aki spelled yet again.

"Who are you freaks? Or, more correctly, what are you?" I asked, starting to fear for my life.

"Why should we tell you anything?"

"Yeah, why?" Another big whiff of my hair.

"W-H-Y?" Aki questioned, running her teeth along my calf.

A deep growl escaped the red-head's lips, and I started to panic, scared that the only sane one was about to lose it. But, instead of going insane, she closed her eyes and the markings disappeared from her face. I was astonished. _What was she?_ Her eyes fluttered open suddenly, and she whipped her head around, sniffing the air. "Someone's coming," she stated plainly. "Drop your demon power; let's split."

"Coming," the blonde said straight for once. If you asked me, she was the freakiest.

"Me too," Mori called, turning to face me again. "Don't _ever_ scrutinize our sister again; next time, we might skin you alive." She abruptly left, not bothering to give me a second glance. Aki let Mori pass her, touching her on the shoulder as she went by, and as she turned her attention away from me, I was dropped to the ground with a thud.

A/N: xD Yoshiro had it coming. Have the rest of the layout in sight (finally!). Hope to be wrapping this story up soon. People have told me to write a story about their school, i might do that although it would probably be a sequel to this story. Or i might skip back to when Ayame and Kiku were kids. I also have aspirations about writing a bleach story which would take up alot of my time. I'm real sorry to everyone who doesn't like this format/style of writing. I LOVE IT! So i'm keeping it. Sprind break is fast approaching and i'm hoping to wrap this story up in that time period. Thanks for bearing with me to all my followers!

-SleepyFox

P.S. Thx for support Hannah! I will have a VERY nice break! But what about that Greek/Latin roots project...Anyway, u can email/ blog on Goodreads(I'm SleepyFox again) or you can email me (please don't spam everyone else: I WILL BLOCK YOU AND BELIEVE ME I CAN): Again, Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18: Kidnapping or MissingNin?

**Chapter 18: Kidnapping or Missing-Nin? The Children Disappear!**

**-Hinata**

I got up early and made breakfast. I knew Kiku had been piled up with Jounin work. I was glad Naruto had taken care of my own. I looked around for eggs and bacon, beginning to fry them up. That was when I noticed the house was quiet. A little _too_ quiet. _One quick peek to make sure they're okay wouldn't hurt, would it?_ So I stealthily slipped down the hallway, peeking in to Kiku's and Ayame's bedroom.

But what I saw I wasn't expecting.

Evidence of a struggle, small dots of blood, and a note. I ran to pick up the piece of paper. It read:

Don't worry, your children are in good hands.

The only thing I want from you is Naruto.

More technically, the Kyuubi inside Naruto.

Deliver him by 4 p.m. this afternoon to the old Uchiha meeting area or you might just find your children dead inside your home tomorrow.

Don't be late.

I wanted to cry but I knew it wouldn't do any good. We had to rescue our kids!

I looked at the note again, trying to decipher the handwriting. It didn't look like anyone we knew. So this had to be real. I crumpled the paper in my fist. They came overnight and just _took_ them? We didn't even wake up for it?

"_Ohayou_, Hinata!"

I stayed still.

"Huh? Are you alright Hinata?"

"No."

**-Aki**

When I finally woke up I was inside a dark cave. I looked around, rubbing my eyes. "Ichigo-kun? Mori-kun?"

"You're finally up."

I jumped at the sound of a new voice. "W-Who are you?"

"Madara. Madara Uchiha." _Uchiha? That was the clan that…_

"Are you Sasuke's brother?"

He laughed and I failed to see how that could cause him any amusement whatsoever. "No. I'm the founder of the Uchiha clan." _Founder!_

"Then you should be dead!"

He laughed again. "Haven't you ever heard of the immortality Jutsu?"

"No…"

He kept on chuckling. "You're so naïve. You don't even know about the power sleeping dormant inside you."

"Of course I do." He seemed to be taken aback. "Of course I know about Anzu!"

This time he sighed. "Not the Demon Fox. Your eyes."

"My…eyes?"

"Why should I explain anything to you? You wouldn't even understand if I did."

"Please tell me!"

He just laughed. "You're so gullible." And disappeared. _My eyes have a special power? But Ichigo's and Mori's look just the same. Does that mean they have it too? Anzu-kun._

_ "What is it, Aki-sama?"_

_ Are my eyes special? Do I have some sort of visual Jutsu?_

Silence.

_ Hey, Anzu! Don't hide anything from me!_

_ "I can't tell you."_

_ What do you mean you can't tell me?_

No response.

I sighed. Seriously, when is she going to stop hiding things from me? I took a closer look at the room around me. Where was everyone else? Had I been abducted alone? I got up and began to walk, and walk, and walk. There seemed to be no end in sight so I just sat down and pulled my legs to my chest. _Somebody…please save me…_

**-Kiku**

"What did you do with them?"

"Nothing."

"Give them back!"

"Kiki, he's on the other side of a barrier that we can't break, getting angry won't help anything. He's just trying to get us to fight amongst ourselves."

"You're right, Ayame-san." I calmed down and asked him again, "What did you do to them?"

He smiled a sort of sinister smile. "I really did nothing."

"Don't lie to me!"

"Don't let him work you up."

"Just…let me see them, at least."

"He's gone."

I looked up to see a blank stone wall in front of me. I couldn't stand it anymore. He expected us to just wait around and do nothing! Then a brilliant idea flashed into my mind. _Sora-kun._

_ "Yeah?"_

_ Are you ready?_

_ "Yeah, go ahead."_

_ Alright. Akugan._

"Alright, I think we made it."

Sora appeared beside me. "Yeah, I think we did it."

We ran to where Madara was standing and I stretched out my hand to where the barrier used to be. It went through. "Yes!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement.

"It's too early to be celebrating, who knows what else we could encounter?"

"Yeah, you're right."

And we continued to run in the World of the Dead.

**-Naruto**

"Someone took them during the middle of the night?" I asked Hinata.

"Yeah, and they want you in exchange."

"You've got to be kidding me. What kind of idiot would think they'd actually be able to make a deal like that?"

"Obviously a very powerful one.

"Yeah." I continued to run toward the meeting place of the Uchiha. "Uchiha…" I wondered aloud. "Could it be…that Madara is holding them?"

"Most likely," she sighed from my shoulders.

_Hey, Kyuubi._

No response.

_Kyuubi._

Again, no response.

_What was this? Hey Kyuubi. If you're there, say something!_

Silence.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked after awhile. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," I said, bewildered. "I don't know what's wrong but I can't get Kyuubi to talk to me."

"Then let's stop. If we have to fight Madara, you need Kyuubi."

"Yeah." I stopped and set Hinata down. Getting up against a tree, I slowly slumped to the ground.

I didn't waste any time. I ran to the large room and found the Kyuubi.

"Hey, Kyuubi, you asleep or something?" I called out.

Not a single flicker of recognition. This was no prank.

I ran up to him, slumped over, ironically like a sleeping baby fox. He was curled in a tight ball. I reached out and patted him on the head like a rabbit. "Hey, Kyuubi-kun."

Nothing.

At this point I started to panic. Not only was there no recognition from him but his body was cold, the exact opposite of what he was normally like: burning hot. I didn't know where on his giant body to check for a pulse so I went to his nose to check his breathing.

No sound, no air.

Was this how a bijou dies?

I decided to use my Uzakugan on him, just to check. But after using it, I passed out myself, and his last words were conveyed to me:

"_You will die by the end of the day. You're children are kidnapped, save them. He cannot resurrect the 10-tailed beast since I myself am dead. Do not hide this from Hinata, those children need a mother. The triplets have amazing skills. And you, being the child of the prophecy, may be able to come back to this world. We'll see if we can cut a deal with the Dead Demon. I will be waiting for you in the afterlife. Do not let me down, Naruto-kun."_


	19. Chapter 19: Death and the Afterlife

**Chapter 19: Death and the Afterlife**

**-Naruto**

"Just take me Madara," I told him, my hands above my head, Hinata putting on a look of horror I know was not because of what I was doing now but what I told her earlier: "I am going to die anyway." From the corner of my eye, I could see a tear stream down her cheek, sealing the authenticity of the deal.

Madara seemed pleased. He easily let the children go after he had me in his grasp. I could hear the children calling out to me: "Dad! Dad! Dad!" I closed my eyes. _Become fine shinobi. Kiku, build your relationship with Sora. Ayame, master your Byakugan. Byakuya, hone your kenjutsu skills. Aiko, respect your younger sisters. Ichigo, Aki, and Mori…discover your hidden skills and use them to the fullest. This is my last wish._

I opened my eyes once more to be greeted by a kunai and death.

---5 years later

I watched as they practiced, proud of how they had grown. Kyuubi was by my side, relaxed as ever. It was hard to believe it had already been 5 years since my death.

"They're beautiful," Kyuubi said out of the blue. I practically fell over. But when I looked at his face, there was a sad expression on it.

"Yeah," I told him, turning my attention away from him and back to the girls. _If only I could talk to them again…_

Suddenly, the symbol of the seal appeared beneath me. "W-What is this?" I asked aloud. Kyuubi looked thrilled.

"He's giving us one more chance," he whispered.

THE SAGA GOES ON...

A/N: well? did u like it? please rate and comment on it. thx every1 4 giving me so much support and inspiration. i know this was a far shot, but i hope u liked the large scope of imagination =P please read my other fanfics. i promise 2 get more up and finish the ones i have this summer. omg 4 more weeks of school! yay! ^^ Big thx to draco 4 reading all my stories and han 2! Love ya! -SleepyFox


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